An Incident in Dark Water
by strange'eagle
Summary: [a jinchuuriki tale] 'You dream of monsters...of things in the dark...and I dream of those things too. But my worst nightmares...are of dark water.' Shigai.
1. Return

Hello!

That sounded perky...oh, well I'm sticking with it.

This is my first "official" fanfic and is the result of the Naruto bug biting me. It hurt. So I wrote this to ignore the pain. Oh, and I squealed like a little girl when I finished but you don't need to know that...

What you do need to know is that I don't own Naruto. But really, even if I didn't say it I think you would have a bit of a hard time convincing the court of playgerism when it's posted on I don't thinkyou would win your case.

And then again, who really would do that anyway? I don't even legally own anything...

Anyway here's the fic. Hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 1: Return**

The sunlight filtered down through the leaves, a passing wind making the play of light and shadow on the packed earth of the path shake and fly frenziedly. Sakura watched her sandaled feet scuff the earth as she walked, sending small puffs of dust into the air. She sighed as she glanced wearily over at her male companions. Kakashi, their silver-haired sensei, had a bored expression on his face (or the little of it that she could see) which was occasionally punctuated with a grimace as he moved with extra care. He had been severely wounded in their last skirmish with the Akatsuki and though Sakura had been able to heal him, more or less, it still pained him greatly. Tsunade would have to take a look at him when they got back. Sai had that creepy smile plastered on his face. As if she needed another excuse to want to hit him. And Naruto…

Well, Naruto was just being…Naruto.

"Do you think they made it back alright?" Naruto asked for what felt like the millionth time since they had started heading back to Konoha. Sakura's newfound patience with Naruto was wearing thin.

So was Kakashi's, apparently. "Naruto, the more you ask that isn't going to increase their chance of safety," Kakashi drawled.

"Huh…" Naruto grunted, putting his arms behind his head. Sakura didn't miss the look of unease that flickered across his features however.

Sakura sighed again. She'd forgotten.

_He's worried about them. He feels responsible for them. Anyone would if they were the one who had convinced them to leave their homes and travel while being chased by an evil secret organization. Right…_

Sakura opened her mouth, about to reassure Naruto for what felt like the hundredth time when Sai beat her to it. Wait a minute…Sai?

"You shouldn't worry Naruto," Sai said, tilting his smiling face slightly towards him. "All three of them are powerful jin- demon containers and were protected by some of the most promising young ninja in Konoha. Not to mention that we just ran into some of the Akatsuki the other day and _they_ didn't seem to have run into them or capture them. There's no need to worry over them; they probably fared better that we did."

"Sai..," Naruto said, taken aback. It was rare when Sai said anything at all, besides insults, let alone anything comforting. After a moment Naruto cracked a grin, his eyes happy slits, as his gait seemed to gain an extra bounce.

"Yeah, your right! What am I worrying about!" Naruto said, that silly grin on his face as he threw his head back and laughed loudly. Sakura smiled inwardly at this, secretly relieved. She thought that she liked the usual hyperactive, loud Naruto much better that the quiet, bipolar one that they had put up with since the Akatsuki attack.

"So are you going to stop acting like a damn woman now? Your sexuality is becoming more questionable with each passing moment."

"Grrr…SAIIIIIIIII!" Naruto yelled, his teeth and fists clenched as he glared at Sai. He should have known it was an insult in disguise!

Sakura was feeling a bit ticked off herself. Her Inner Sakura was acting up. '**Acting like a 'damn' woman, huh! Maybe one of those 'damn' women oughta hand him what's left of his ass!'**

Kakashi noticed Sakura's aura of killer intent and discreetly took a step back. A big step. Such a scary kunoichi…

Sakura was about to pound Sai into the ground when she noticed that the edges of Sai's mouth were curling up more than necessary. The skin around his eyes was tightening too. She dropped her ready fist to her side as she looked at Sai with dumbfounded amazement. He was actually smiling. Not that fake thing that he normally wore, but the real thing.

She fell behind a little, her steps slowing slightly, as her mind tried to grapple with this latest development. Sai was unemotional. Literally. She had remembered Yamato mentioning something about it. Apparently, all the members of the old 'Root' organization of the ABNU underwent special training to make them into the 'perfect shinobi', draining them of all their capacity for emotion. Cold, efficient, murdering tools. And Sai had been one of them.

But…lately…she had sensed a change in him. Nothing big. He still acted pretty much the way he always did. Efficient, useful when he wanted to be, still shows he's a complete ass when he talked, and is a mystery the rest of the time. But now that she thought about it…there had been some changes. He no longer spat insults every time they tried to talk to him (well, mostly). He also seemed more considerate of his teammates, helping them more on missions and training with them when they weren't. Well, more with Naruto really than with her, but that was still a big improvement.

And, well, his promise to help them get Sasuke back had scored major points with both of them too.

Sakura inhaled and exhaled slowly, running a hand through her soft pink locks. This was so confusing…

They walked on in silence, Naruto still fuming and Sakura lagging behind, deep in thought. Finally, the walls of Konoha's gates loomed into view. Naruto promptly forgot that he was mad with Sai, as he excitedly ran ahead, yelling something at the chunin on duty. The rest of them followed more slowly.

He was still shouting at the guards when they caught up.

"Whadaya mean you 'can't let me in'! We're ninjas of Konoha too! See the hitai-ate? So let us in!"

A guard only shouted back. "We can't let you in until you show proper-"

Someone cleared their throat. The chunin looked up at that and with a startled jump snapped into a salute. "Kakashi-sensei! So sorry, we didn't see you there!"

Kakashi merely sighed. Old students. Or, rather, old _wanna-be_ student since the only team he had ever passed was Team 7.

"Yeah, hi." Kakashi paused for a moment, trying to recall the kid's name. He failed. Oh well. If they failed his test then they shouldn't expect him to remember their name anyway. "Could you please do your job now and open the gate? I'm pretty sure we all know who we are now."

The guard looked disappointed for a moment, before he seemed to comprehend what Kakashi said and saluted sharply again, shouting orders down at the gatemen below. There was a pause, and then the painted gates slowly split and swung inward. Team 7 entered Konoha, moving quickly out of the way as the gates closed shut behind them.

The still fresh mid-morning sun tipped the trees with bright yet still soft morning light. The path broadened out from here and continued on, leading into the village proper. The cool breeze had followed them in, the soft rustling of cloth on skin briefly filling the temporary silence that fell over them.

Naruto was the one to break it. "Well, let's go report to Tsunade-baa-chan!" Naruto shouted, as he jumped into a nearby tree and took off towards Konoha. Sakura only groaned at Naruto's seemingly endless energy as Kakashi glanced at the sky briefly, as if to ask how he got stuck with such a student. Only Sai heard Naruto quietly mutter as they moved swiftly through the trees toward the Hokage's tower.

"She can tell us if they made it back or not…"

* * *

Konoha was the same as they left it. Bright and bustling, normal life continued here with vigor. The village never showed the signs of being host to one of the greatest shinobi forces in the world. The normal people here lived, for the most part, ignorant of the games of life and death that the shinobi of the village played everyday. Even the attempted invasion of the Sound and Sand villages a couple years back hadn't changed it much. Life went on. 

Sakura always found it comforting to know that no matter how far they traveled or what happened on their missions that Konoha would always be there to welcome them back. It was one of the few constants that made the hard and difficult missions bearable: that they would always be able to return home. Sakura didn't know what she would do if there ever came a time when she couldn't.

Her team was currently making their way from rooftop to rooftop toward the Hokage tower. Sakura wanted to stop a little to get a breather and absorb the warmth that she always felt when they came back, but Naruto wasn't stopping or slowing down and Sakura wasn't about to complain. She could always welcome herself back later.

She couldn't help but stop however when they passed the Yamanaka flower shop. She paused on the roof of a business across the street, panting slightly as she covered her eyes with a hand to see if she could spot Ino through the clear glass windows of the shop. She did; Ino was behind the counter, helping an elderly couple with their pick of bouquets. She waved at her.

Ino noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye (well, she was a ninja after all) and glanced up. A look of surprise and delight crossed her pretty face. She excused herself to the couple and quickly ran outside to wave back, her gardener's apron that she wore over her ninja outfit flapping around her legs.

"Hey Sakura! Glad to see you made it back okay!" Sakura smiled warmly at her old friend. After Sasuke had left both Ino and Sakura had agreed that their stupid little feud was pointless and, after a few tentative starts, had managed to regain their old familiarity and friendship. If nothing else good had ever come out of Sasuke leaving then it had to be that. Sakura was always thankful that she had gotten her closest friend back.

"You too! Is-?"

"Yeah, he's fine too! Listen, do you wanna stop by here this evening? My dad's out on a mission and I was thinking that we could-"

"Sakura! Hurry up!" Naruto called out, his voice faint with distance, but even from there she could hear his impatience.

"Alright, just a moment!" Sakura quickly hollered back. She turned back to Ino.

"Ino, I've gotta go, but I'll come by later around…five? Is that alright?" Ino confirmed it was with a nod. "Alright then. See you then!"

Sakura launched off the roof onto the next, her feet pounding a steady beat on the roofing tiles as she ran across and leapt to the next one. "Coming!"

Ino watched as her former rival leapt across the rooftops, her arms, legs, and pink hair just a blur as she ran. Ino smiled as she watched her go. They had both come so far, especially Sakura. It was hard to believe that the shy, quiet little girl she had befriended at the Academy had grown into the strong, confident ninja that she was now. She had all the markings of becoming a legendary shinobi someday. Ino didn't doubt it.

Ino turned away reluctantly and helped the old couple finish up their shopping; they were getting the flowers for their grand-daughter who was to be married soon. She wished them well as they left, the bell ringing as the door to the Yamanaka's business shut quietly. Ino looked around, thinking. Today was a weekday and they normally didn't get much business now: most of the spring and summer festivals were by and gone and the next one wouldn't be for a month or so. Since her father was gone she could probably get away with closing up the shop early, at least for today.

Ino slipped off her apron, flipped the sign on the door to CLOSED, and walked behind the counter to count the money they had made today. As her mind went mechanically through the numbers she began to plan the rest of her day. She should probably go visit Shikamaru and Choji first and tell them that Naruto and Sakura were back. She debated for a while whether to ask them to spread the news but eventually turned the idea down. Shikamaru would only laze around all day and Choji could only be counted on to spread the news if the recipients happened to be in whatever restaurant or other food establishment he happen to wander into. Assuming, of course, that he would be able to speak through the food he would be stuffing into his mouth. No, she would have to do that herself. Maybe she should take a trip to that new bathhouse they had opened on the other side of the village afterwards…

Ino was busy absentmindedly counting change and daydreaming about a day spent in a spa when the bell above the door tinkled again, signaling someone's entry. She hurriedly put away the change and slipped out from behind the counter.

"Hey! Can't you read?" Ino yelled, hurrying to the front of the store, irritated that someone had the gall to interrupt her delicious planning. "It says CLO-" Ino abruptly closed her mouth, swallowing the half-said word, as she finally laid eyes on the newcomer. An uncharacteristic blush lightly colored her nose and cheeks.

"Hi-" Ino stumbled, trying to recover from her blunder and strange embarrassment. She was cut off when a scroll was thrust into her hands before she could finish.

"Here," he said impassively. "Um…thanks?" Ino said, slightly taken aback as she looked at the scroll. It was dark blue with white edging. It was unmarked.

She was about to open it when a hand closed over hers and stopped her. She slowly looked up. "You're not supposed to read it," the young man informed her. "It's for your father when he gets back from his mission."

"Oh…okay." Ino walked back behind the counter. She bent over, feeling the edge of the counter where it met the floor. A secret compartment opened beneath her fingertips. She reached in and grabbed the key that she knew would be there. She had to suppress a snort as she did. I mean really. Her father was a jonin, a supposed elite of the village's shinobi, and he couldn't find a better hiding place for the key to his personal draw than that. Pathetic.

She walked to the far end of the counter, inserted the key into one of the faceless locked draws and opened it. She carefully placed the scroll inside. She relocked it and returned the key to its place. She expected to get a telling off when he discovered the new item in private draw when he came back, but it just served him right. Maybe he would find a better hiding place next time.

When she poked her head back above the counter she noticed the deliverer had turned to leave. He had the door half-way open, his foot just about to fall on the paved concrete, when he felt his free arm grabbed and himself yanked back inside.

"Ino-" he said, irritation evident in his voice. Ino spun him around to face her. He cocked an eyebrow at her. She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, her eyes narrowed at him.

"You know what," she said, answering his voiceless question. She folded her arms, a smug look settling on her features. He didn't like that look.

He should have known. "I finally figured out a way for you to pay me back for that favor that I did for you," Ino said lightly, her grip on his arm anything but as she dragged him to the back of the shop.

"Maybe so, but is this really necessary…?" he asked. Ino gave him her _I'm not falling for that _look and pulled him into one of the back rooms, never letting go of him.

The room was hot and steamy, drastically different from the room they had just left. The abrupt change left him breathless. Plants of every shape, mix, and color filled every breathing space, adding to the room's already suffocating effect.

Ino moved forward, seemingly unaffected, still pulling him along by the hand as he tried to figure out the correct way to breath in this atmosphere. When it became apparent that she was moving to the center of the heat and humidity he stopped, refusing to move.

"Hey! What's the hold up?"

"I…am _not_…going in there," he managed, trying to disguise the fact that he was panting for air. He tried taking deep breaths, but quickly reverted when he realized that he was taking in more water vapor than oxygen. He continued his quickened breathing. "You go ahead. I'll wait here."

"Uh huh. You're just going to run out if I do." He didn't answer to that.

"Oh come on! You're acting even more squeamish than Choji on a diet."

She tried to pull him along, but he refused to budge. She sighed, exasperated. "Fine. But you're not going anywhere." She released him. Before he could react her hands meet together and rapidly flew through some hand signs, her hands moving with the speed and precision of familiarity. As she completed the jutsu his mind suddenly felt thrust back. For a moment he thought he was having an out-of-body experience. Except his point of view never changed. He was still in his body, still staring at Ino as she held the last hand sign for a couple of moments longer. He tried to speak, to tell Ino to forget it, but found his mouth wouldn't make the words. He tried to move his limbs, to push Ino away or just get out of here, but his arms and legs wouldn't respond. He tried to blink. Nothing happened. Suddenly he understood what had happened and he glared at Ino or tried to, since he couldn't be sure if he had succeeded or not. It was one of Ino's mind tricks.

He was trapped in his own paralyzed body.

"There," she said, stepping back to look at him, a satisfied and smug look on her face. "Now you wait there while I get it, okay?" she asked him mockingly, her lips curved in a playfully devious smile, as she brushed past the plants and disappeared from view.

He waited. At least this jutsu allowed him to breathe. Strangely, the claustrophobic feeling and difficult breathing had pasted. He wondered if it had something to do with Ino's mind control. She certainly didn't look bothered.

Resigned, (it wasn't like he had a choice) he studied what he could see while he waited for Ino to reappear. Now that he had time to look around (at what was in front of him) he noticed that none of these plants were flowering plants. At least, not the type you would sell to ordinary civilians. He spotted foxglove, larkspur, lily-of-the-valley, monkshood, and nightshade among others that he couldn't readily identify. He even thought he could see cosmos flower roots strung up on the nearest wall. There were enough plants in here to line every garden path in Konoha. All of them were deadly poisonous. It struck him as strange since the Yamanaka clan was known for their use of mind-control jutsus; not poison tactics.

As he remained frozen though, a different solution to this puzzle began to work its way through his brain. When he had first come to Konoha he had been surprised at the open distribution of weaponry, especially poisons. Where he came from you had to make a special contract with distributors in order to get the necessary equipment for the shinobi occupation. And it wasn't made easy for the ninja. Normally you had to fulfill a certain requirement or perform a special, difficult service for them before they would cater to you. And that was just for the normal stuff like kunai or scrolls. They weren't even allowed to sell poisons. The village's leaders considered the practice too dangerous; to sell lethal poisons to experienced shinobi. But here, they didn't hesitate. They were almost totally trusting of their shinobi. Oh, they weren't naïve. They kept careful records of who bought what and other measures to protect against misuse, but he knew it was dramatically different from other villages, his included. But he had noticed that they never mentioned where they procured the poisons. He had assumed it was classified information so hadn't questioned it. But it looked like he had been thrust into the main provider's room. He wondered if Ino appreciated that fact. That here he was, practically still a foreign ninja, being shown the main stash of poison for probably the entire village. He dismissed the notion. Not even Ino was that thick. But there was only one other reason that he could think of for her to allow him to see this…

She must trust him.

As that somehow disturbing notion crossed his mind, Ino finally reappeared, a small pouch in one hand.

"Got it!" she stated cheerfully, her hands folding into the jutsu's release sign. Again, he felt that mental jerk and immediately regained control. He almost fell over with the abrupt return of motor skills. Almost. He slowly regained his perfect sense of balance as Ino moved past him and pushed open the door. He quickly followed.

The door closed shut behind him as he took a deep breath of the fresh, dry air. That was too close.

Ino turned around to face him. She smiled and held up the pouch.

"I want you to deliver this to Yamato," she said as she handed it over to him.

He turned it over in his hands, noting the stitching of the fire symbol on the front, then opened it and dumped its contents into the palm of his hand. Three shriveled looking pods rolled into his hand. He analyzed them carefully, not discovering anything special about them, and glanced at Ino.

"And what would he want these for…?" he drawled. Ino just shrugged. "Hell, if I know. All I know was that he asked for those seeds by special request and to be brought to him as soon as we had them. Paid quite a bit for that guarantee too."

She sighed as she flicked a stray strand of white blonde hair out of her eyes. "With all our sources we could only manage to get a hold of one. Some sort of rare plant from the Water country. I had to spend a _month_ growing one so that we could get the number of seeds he wanted. He said that it was very important that he have at least three, and not to deliver them until we had them."

"Hn," he hummed quietly. _Probably for one of his wood jutsus…_

"So if I deliver this…you'll stop bugging me?" he asked as he replaced the seeds in the bag and closed it, drawing the draw-strings tight. He tied it to his belt, next to his ninja pouch.

"Well…can't count on that, but you won't owe me anymore," Ino said with a wink. He would have snorted if he was the type of person to do that. He wasn't though.

"So… please deliver that as soon as you can, preferably immediately. I've got some…things I need to take care of today," she said, walking over to a stand of tulips on display to rearrange their pots.

He imperceptibly nodded and turned around to leave. His hand was on the doorknob as he heard Ino suddenly call out behind him.

"One more thing…"

"Yeah…?" he said, not bothering to turn around.

"They're back." He tensed.

He slowly turned back around so that he was half facing her. "Who?"

Ino fiddled with a tulip pot for a moment then looked his way again, a small smile on her face.

"Who do you think? Team 7. Naruto."

* * *

They had finally reached the Hokage tower. Kakashi led the way in as Naruto, Sakura, and Sai followed. Only Naruto and Sakura were out of breath. 

They walked down the main hallway and stepped into one of the open elevators at the end. Kakashi punched the number for the top floor and the elevator doors closed behind them. The elevator jerked into motion, that small familiar drop in the pit of her stomach reminding Sakura of all the times in the past three years she had taken this very same elevator up everyday to receive training from the legendary sannin, Tsunade. Remembering that time, Sakura felt like it had been an age ago. A lot had happened since then. Whenever Naruto was around things _happened_ quite a lot. While the last three years hadn't been exactly peaceful (how could it be when a woman with a tendency for massive PMS mood swings and a punch that could take out a tall building was your teacher?) in comparison with her first year as a ninja and the time since Naruto had come back her tutelage under Tsunade looked dull. Naruto had that effect she supposed.

It was quiet in the elevator, though the classic elevator music was playing in the background. An awkward silence fell over them as they waited to be let out. Naruto glared at the slowly rising illuminated numbers above them, a foot tapping impatiently. Sai was leaning against the wall, an unreadable expression on his face. Kakashi, typically, had pulled out one of Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise novels, and was reading it with a hand stuffed in his pocket. Sakura momentarily considered punching him, (those books were banned in the Hokage tower, one of the first rules that Tsunade had established as Hokage) but, frankly, she didn't have the energy, dirty book or not. She just wanted to finish this. As soon as this was over with she was going to take a leaf out of Tsunade's book and take a good long nap.

Sakura had to stifle a yawn as the elevator doors finally slid open to the Hokage's floor. They slipped out and approached the front desk at the end of the main hallway. Huge double doors loomed behind the desk, leading to the Hokage's office. Two ABNU framed the huge doorway, guarding the entrance. Behind the handsome mahogany desk, sitting in a big comfy chair, was Tsunade's loyal assistant, Shizune. Half-lens reading glasses were perched on her nose as she looked to be reading some reports neatly stacked on her desk. She glanced up as she heard them approach, smiling when she recognized them.

"Shizune!" Naruto exclaimed, running forward and hugging her across the desk. Shizune, startled, hesitantly patted him on the back. She was a practical, but shy woman and she never knew how to react to Naruto's…friendliness. "Glad to see you too, Naruto."

Naruto pulled back, and Sakura greeted her with a warm smile that she returned slightly. She had learned to like Shizune over the years that she had been Tsunade's apprentice and had been saved from Tsunade's displeasure more than once by Shizune's quick thinking. A tentative bond had grown between the two women, fueled by their mutual duty to put up with their mentor day after day.

"So, how's the old hag?" Naruto asked loudly. Shizune winced. If her employer had heard that…

Shizune nearly jumped out of her skin when the double doors behind her slammed open with a bang, bouncing off the walls, the jonin having scrambled out of the way just in time.

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME, BRAT?" Apparently she had.

Naruto, of course, had no sense of his impending death. "You heard me. Or is your hearing going along with your looks?"

Kakashi wondered idly which shop he should rent his suit from for the funeral. Assuming there would be enough left of him to put in the ground of course…

"WHY YOU LITTLE-" Tsunade, Fifth Hokage, Legendary Sannin, reached across the desk and proceeded to strangle Naruto, Shizune cowering beside her.

"Tsu-…san-…," Naruto sputtered between Tsunade's squeezing grip, frantically trying to squirm out of her grasp. You don't want to stay in Tsunade's strangling hold for long. Even if she wasn't planning on killing you. He had heard about other people who had almost been 'accidentally' strangled by Tsunade before. He couldn't die an honorable death until after he had become Hokage.

Naruto was beginning to turn a queasy color of blue, when a voice cut through the air. A cool, collected yet faintly dangerous voice that spoke of desert winds and raging sand. A voice that promised immediate action of probably a violent nature if it wasn't headed. A familiar voice.

"Madam Hokage, whatever the insult to your person I don't believe I can let you strangle one of my good friends. Please release him before I am forced to resort to less…diplomatic means of removal."

Tsunade turned her head to glare at her red-haired guest and his presumptuous declaration. Though, to Naruto's eternal gratification, she did loosen her grip on his neck. Gaara and his siblings, Kankuro and Temari, walked out of Tsunade's office where they had obviously had been holding council before Team 7 had arrived. Gaara stared at her with his empty gaze, his expression unnerving.

"Hmph. It takes a lot of huts to say that to_ me_ Lord Kazekage. How did you plan to carry out that…warning?"There was a strange glint in her eye when she said that, and to all those present they recognized the challenge in her voice. They all took a healthy step back, Naruto (who had managed to escape her grip unnoticed) included.

Gaara looked back at her flatly. "Using whatever means necessary," he stated impassively.

Silence reigned for a few tense moments. Then Tsunade let out a shout of laughter, making everyone jump. The laughter continued, the tension lessening somewhat as they felt the danger from a violent Tsunade at least diminish. The young Kazekage, however, looked annoyed.

"I fail to see the humor in what I said," Gaara finally snapped, annoyance and the beginnings of anger clouding his fair features.

Tsunade settled down at his words, wiping a few tears of mirth from her bronze eyes, as she gazed at the Kazekage, a genuine smile on her lips.

"Pardon my rudeness Gaara-sama. It's just that all the reports, the records, and the eyewitness accounts that I've received about you seemed so boringly similar that I had begun to wonder if it was such a wise idea to let you visit Konoha, let alone meet you in person. You see, you have a track record a good three miles long, which I _can_ testify to." She held up a hand and began ticking off fingers. "Destruction of property. Cruelty. Homicide. Disobeying orders. _Mass_ homicide-"

"I don't see your point," Gaara almost growled at Tsunade, cutting her off. The guarding jonin edged closer to Tsunade.

"My _point_ is…that I should never have listened to those old farts. I should have listened more closely to what Naruto had to say about you than judge you based on papers and lifeless old men."

Gaara blinked. He looked like he was in shock. It was possible. Sakura thought that Naruto was probably the only other one in Gaara's whole life who had actually told Gaara that they didn't think of him as the monster who had first come to Konoha to participate in the Chunin Exams, but as Kazekage, leader and protector of his people. Even Sakura had hesitated when she had heard about Gaara's kidnapping, thinking that perhaps it would be for the best, for him and his village. She deeply regretted that now.

"Besides that," Tsunade chuckled, "the way you tried to 'intervene' between me and Naruto gave you away too. Even though there wasn't any real danger."

"Speak for yourself!" Naruto croaked, rubbing his neck. Sakura caught a glimpse of finger-sized bruises covering his neck. Gaara looked skeptical.

Tsunade frowned. "Naruto, come here." Naruto didn't move. "I said COME HERE!" Naruto slowly walked over to her, sulking and dragging his feet. He stopped when he was a few feet away.

Tsunade impatiently closed the gap. Before he could react she placed both her hands on the sides of his neck, fingers widely splayed, her thumbs and forefingers cradling his head. Naruto automatically flinched. Tsunade's expression softened.

"Don't move," she ordered him softly, as she pressed her jeweled forehead against his, closing her eyes in concentration. Naruto's brilliant blue eyes widened in surprise as out of the corner of his eye he saw her hands begin to glow. The glow steadily increased, becoming brighter and brighter until it was easily noticeable to everyone. Then it suddenly winked out, leaving the sharp tang of used chakra in the air. Tsunade stepped away.

Naruto slowly felt his neck, Sakura noting that all the bruises Tsunade had imprinted on his tanned skin were gone. He rotated his neck, took both hands and twisted his head, heard it crink, (Sakura winced) and shook it, like a wet dog. When he looked back up, he was grinning.

"Thanks Tsunade-baa-chan!" Naruto said, a note of respect now in the insult. Tsunade grunted, a disgruntled look on her face at Naruto's use of the honorary, though thankfully she didn't comment.

Silence momentarily fell. Kakashi was the one to break it this time. He cleared his throat and walked forward, bowing respectfully to his Kage.

"Lady Tsunade, our original purpose for coming here was to report to you in person, as you requested, regarding the unclassified mission you sent us on," Tsunade quickly motioned the two jonin guards out, giving them a knowing look. The two elite ninja nodded and saluted, leaving the room. "We are ready to report."

"Alright then. Step inside my office and I'll hear it."

She led them inside, passing the Sand siblings and settled behind her red cherry wood desk, shifting massive piles of paper so that she could see them. Gaara bowed and made a motion to leave, his siblings following suit, but Tsunade brushed it away and beckoned him in.

"You'll probably want to hear this too," she said as Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari complied, puzzled looks on their faces. They settled themselves down in the comfy chairs lining Tsunade's office, leaving only Team 7 standing. Shizune quietly closed the doors behind them.

"Now then, tell me everything that happened since you left Konoha. Don't leave anything out."

"Before we do Tsunade-baa-chan," Naruto said, moving forward until he was standing right in front of her desk. "Tell us if they made it back okay!"

"Yes, they all made it back just fine Naruto," Tsunade answered, irked once again at his lack of manners. A flood of relief crashed through his features, surprising them. Though Sakura could tell that he had been worried she was still surprised at the magnitude of emotion that had crossed his face. Despite all the symptoms, she hadn't really thought that Naruto was as worried as he was. It just didn't seem like him. He was never worried about anything.

A grin split his face as Naruto quickly babbled, jumping up and down ecstatically, the scene reminiscent of his more hyperactive 12-year-old self that Sakura had first met.

"Really? That's great! Where are they staying? What have they been doing? Have they seen all of Konoha yet? I'm gonna take them out for ramen at Ichiraku's and show them my garden and my special spots and…," Naruto blathered on at top speed, seeming to grow more excited with every word. He was almost ready to bounce off the walls when Tsunade decided that she had had enough and quickly brought him back to earth.

"SETTLE DOWN!" she yelled, grabbing one of his ears and bringing him up short. She let go when she was sure she had his full attention again.

"That's all well and good Naruto, but you can't see them." That wiped the grin off Naruto's face.

"At least, not today," she added. Naruto looked both angry and confused.

"But, why not?" Naruto asked, his wide blue eyes betraying a hint of hurt, as if Tsunade had promised something important to him, but at the last moment denied him it.

"I have my reasons." Naruto opened his mouth, an outraged look replacing the bewilderment. Tsunade cut him off before he could protest.

"I _have_, however, set up a meeting with them tomorrow that I am expecting you and the young Kazekage to attend. Is that alright with both of you?" Naruto nodded quickly (after he had rehinged his jaw) and Gaara once slowly, his black ringed eyes narrowed in thought.

"Good. Now, Kakashi…," she said, turning back to the jonin.

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Where…and when…are we supposed to meet them?"

"I'll disclose that information once you have finished your report," Tsunade replied stiffly. Naruto looked ready to protest again, but stopped when Tsunade shot him a glare that clearly said: _Interrupt me again and I'll twist your head off_. It was accented by the throbbing vein in her right temple. Naruto decided that wasn't a good sign and didn't press the issue.

"Now, _if there are no more interruptions_," Tsunade glowered at the room's occupants. No one said anything. "Then, Kakashi you start…"

Kakashi quickly related their travels and adventures in the Rock, Cloud, and Rain countries; Sakura, Naruto, and occasionally Sai, interjecting and adding to his narrative. He finished with the run-in with the Akatsuki spies.

"…we managed to defeat the plant-like man, Zetsu, and once he went down the other retreated with him, covering his tracks well so we couldn't follow." Kakashi decided not to add his suspicions about the other man, the one called Tobi…and what he had thought he had seen in the eyehole of the mask he wore. He had probably been hallucinating; he had been fatally injured after all. What he thought he saw…well it couldn't be…and until he confirmed what it was he wasn't going to bother Tsunade with his old memories.

This was not the time to bring up ghosts of the past.

"Hmmm…" Tsunade nodded, her fingers drumming on her desk as she digested this new information. "What you've told me reconfirms what the others said. The Akatsuki attack… You say that they were spies?"

Kakashi nodded. "It appeared so. They had been following us. They were extremely good trackmen too. We would have never realized they were on our trail if Naruto hadn't accidentally dropped that paper bomb exactly where he had. If it wasn't for that stroke of dumb luck they would have probably followed us straight back to the jinchuriki." _Or probably worse._

"I understand that you were injured?" Kakashi nodded, shifting his weight gingerly at the reminder.

"I'll take a look at you afterwards." Tsunade glanced around at the assembled people, her gaze coming to rest on Naruto. She smiled.

"Well, since Naruto has been so patient," he tensed expectantly, "I guess its time to tell you where you'll be meeting your kinsmen. I've asked Yamato, he's been assigned as their sensei, to tell them to be at Ichiraku's-" "YES!" Naruto yelled, dancing in a circle. Gaara looked amused at his reaction. "-at two o'clock the next afternoon. And Naruto?" Naruto quit his dance of ramen-joy. "You are not to go looking for them in the meantime, understand?"

"Okay, but…I still don't understand why…" Tsunade tensed slightly. There was a worried, anxious, unsure, and slightly fearful look in her eyes, mixing chaotically in her golden brown orbs. The whirlwind of emotion seemed at odds with the softened expression on her face. It took Sakura a minute to recognize it. It was how Tsunade looked when something bad was happening that she felt she had little control over.

"The-" She paused for a moment, wrestling with what she was going to tell them. She decided to take a half measure. "The political situation on this issue has been…touchy."

Sakura understood in a flash. The council and, most especially, Danzo, would not like the fact that three other demon containers had taken asylum in Konoha. Naruto seemed to grasp this fact as well.

"Is there anything we can do…?" Naruto asked uncertainly, concerned but determined at the same time. Sakura imagined for a moment that Tsunade's gaze flickered towards Sai, but decided that she must have been mistaken when Tsunade gazed back at Naruto and smiled softly. "I'm sorry Naruto, but really, there is nothing that you can do. I'll have to deal with them myself," she replied, the last part so quiet it was almost inaudible.

Tsunade finished gleaning details from them about the mission and finally bid them leave, suggesting that they use the time to relax and freshen up for tomorrow.

"I have a little more than a reunion planned for tomorrow and it won't work if you're too tired to be up for it," Tsunade said, a devilish glint creeping into her eye. She refused, however, to tell them what it was and only said that they would find out tomorrow.

As they were about to leave though, she called out two final requests. "Kakashi, ask Shizune to take you to the Medical Examination room to take a look at you. I'll be with you shortly. Sai…I wish to speak privately with you for a moment." The rest of them took their leave, filing out of the Hokage's office. Sai stayed behind, an indecipherable expression on his face.

As Gaara pasted by him, his shoulder accidentally brushed against Sai's. Sai unconsciously shifted slightly to give him room, but was surprised to find that he was arrested in his movement. The young Kazekage had a tight grip on his arm. A crushing grip. Sai's dark eyes darted to meet Gaara's cold, pale green ones. Gaara leaned ever so slightly towards Sai as the rest of his body continued forward, his Kage's robes hiding the contact. He never turned his head.

_I'm watching you_, he breathed into his ear, his one green eye boring into his with a hidden intensity. Then, just as suddenly, the contact was gone. The Kazekage continued by, his message having taken him less than two seconds to deliver. His brother and sister followed, casting uneasy looks between the pair, instinctively aware that something had happened, but unable to tell what. Sai didn't turn around to watch him leave. He knew what was at stake.

* * *

Gaara continued down the hall, returning a brief farewell from Naruto, intending to head back to the resistance that Tsunade had vacated for his use. Kankuro and Temari followed respectively behind him, sharing an unspoken glance between them. He knew what they must be thinking. They were his elite bodyguards, his protectors and closest advisors and they had grown close enough to him to enable him to tell what they were thinking most of the time. Before he had meet Naruto he had kept them at a distance, not letting them get close enough to know him, to understand him. They still didn't in some ways. Although they were siblings his life had made him, _twisted _him, in such a way that he still seemed somewhat alien to them. He probably always would be. But in the years following the defeat of the Sound and Sand villages he had slowly let them grow closer to him, becoming the reality of brother and sister instead of just in name. It had been difficult; more so than he had anticipated. The invisible walls that he had surrounded himself with had been firmly built. The only person who had penetrated to the interior since Yashamaru's death had been Naruto and that only by force. Even when he was willing he found it difficult to take down his defensives; to let someone else in. As a result, he was an aloof Kazekage, ruling his village from a distance. He also thought that might be why he had so many female admirers now: the aloof attitude minus the dangerously homicidal vibe. But that wasn't what he wanted. 

He couldn't help thinking that Naruto wouldn't be an aloof Hokage.

He opened the door located next to the elevators, taking the stairs down (he hated the enclosed feeling he got inside an elevator; like a coffin) with Kankuro and Temari trailing behind him. Each step they took echoed flatly in the polished concrete stairway.

Gaara mused quietly as he made his unhurried way down. _I'm watching you_.

The political situation had been more than 'touchy' as Tsunade had so eloquently put it. In fact, Konoha's council had been up in arms about this. It had nearly turned into a full-scale revolt. Tsunade had been forced to call on whatever aid Gaara could give her to persuade them to accept the proposed arrangement, knowing that Gaara would be sympathetic to her cause. Gaara had had to leave his village, vulnerable without the powerful presence of its Kage, to come to Konoha to hammer out a compromise with the elders of Konoha himself in order for anything to be accomplished. And in the process had learned about their 'other' decisions regarding a certain jinchuriki in particular. He was a lot less sympathetic now. With the council. With Tsunade.

'_How dare she let them put a spy on Naruto's team!' _Gaara thought, a seething, boiling feeling growing in his stomach at the thought. _'I would have never let something like this happen in Sunagakure! How dare they even think of doing this to Naruto. He had done nothing to deserve this! He has shone them nothing but the deepest loyalty and this is how they repay him!'_ Gaara couldn't understand it. The people here were even blinder than the people at home. They would never accept Naruto as a person let alone Hokage.

His thoughts turned to the spy, to that Sai character if that was even his name. Naruto and the others (except possibly that sensei) might have been thick enough to miss the look Tsunade had given him, but Gaara was sharper than that. His eyes narrowed in more than thought and suspicion as he shoved open the door to the bottom floor, heading straight outside to the bright sunshine and life of Konoha.

He didn't deserve this.

* * *

"You sure you'll be okay, Kakashi-sensei?" 

"I'm being looked after by two of the best medical nins in history. Three, if I count what you have already done." Sakura blushed with the unexpected praise. "It's safe to say that I'm not too worried, Sakura. You shouldn't be either."

"Kakashi-sensei? The Examination Room is this way…"

"Hm? Yeah, okay." Kakashi followed Shizune down a side hallway, Naruto and Sakura looking after them.

"Good luck Kakashi-sensei!" _I hope there's nothing wrong with him that they can't fix._

"Yeah Kakashi! Don't do anything Ero-sennin wouldn't do!"

They distinctly saw Shizune trip at the end of the hallway.

Kakashi smiled, not turning around, holding a hand up in farewell. He chuckled softly as he stared at what he knew his two students couldn't see from there. The tips of Shizune's very red ears.

Sakura, meanwhile, mock punched Naruto in the head. He staggered back, clutching his head, and pretending to stumble around in pain. Sakura chuckled, walking back down the hallway toward the elevators. Her back to him, she didn't notice him stop and wince, rubbing his head. He'd have to remember not to let her do that again.

Naruto caught up with her and they walked to the elevators together.

"Hey Sakura, want to go to Ichiraku's with me?"

"Why?" Sakura frowned. "They're not going to be there till tomorrow at two."

"No, it's not that! It's just that there wasn't a single ramen place during the whole trip and I'm starving!"

Sakura smiled at Naruto ramen fetish. "Sorry Naruto, but I'm going home for now and heading over to Ino's later. I really need a shower."

"Oh…okay then…"

Naruto looked visibly less enthusiastic as they reached the end of the hallway.

"I guess I should go home and unpack too…," Naruto said, trailing off as he pushed the elevator button.

* * *

Sai stood in front of Tsunade's desk, a pleasant smile fixed on his face, as he coolly examined her. Tsunade still sat behind it, a troubled look on her face as she tried to find the words to speak. What the young Kazekage, Gaara, had said earlier during the meeting that Naruto had so timely interrupted still niggled in her mind, eating away at her conscience. 

"_How could you let this happen? Your Hokage and one of the legendary sannin at that! Why did you let this go on? Why did you do nothing?"_

'_He's only a kid_,' Tsunade thought defensively, trying to rationalize an excuse for the situation she was in. '_He doesn't realize the delicacy they have to be dealt with, the deals I've had to make to insure that Naruto has even the freedom to draw breathe without someone monitoring him. He doesn't understand that force won't fix everything, especially when it is used against the very people you have sworn to protect!_'

But the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that maybe if she had acted when she could have she wouldn't be in this mess. And Naruto's right to pursue his dream to become Hokage wouldn't be in peril.

'_Why did you do nothing?'_

Tsunade was finally beginning to grasp the full extent of her failure to deal with the council and with Danzo. She was Hokage not queen. That had been her first mistake as Hokage, believing that she could act with total authority, without regard to the council or anyone else. Because she had ignored them initially was part of the reason that they were acting out so much now, questioning her decisions and authority as Hokage. The other part- Danzo. He had become the thorn in her side and until recently she hadn't realized how deep he had gone in. She was no Sandaime to earn his respect and grudging submission to her will. Even if she was the type to go out and earn the respect of other people she had a feeling that nothing she could ever do would persuade Danzo to accept her as Hokage. He had made the exception once; he never would again.

And that was why she was sitting in front of Danzo's spy, whose sole purpose was to monitor and report back to that usurper every movement of one of the last people on earth whom she still believed in, and felt completely powerless to stop him.

How far she had fallen from her grand-father's grace.

"Danzo wishes to see you immediately," she whispered, the words wrenching out of her painfully. Sai merely gave a shallow dip of his head, his dark gaze strangely averted, as he turned around and headed toward the door. Tsunade's head hung in shame. With every hollow echo of one of his steps on the polished floor of the Hokage's office the feeling of helpless grew in Tsunade, rising to a crescendo in her breast. The footsteps abruptly stopped. But she hadn't heard the creak of the double doors opening.

Tsunade slowly lifted her head. Sai was standing in front of her closed doors; his head turned a fraction towards her. One dark, enigmatic eye studied her emptily, half hidden by strands of his black bangs.

"I won't betray him." The statement came out with an odd, hesitant, robotic quality. But she thought she caught a flicker in his eye, an elusive glimpse of something more than the emptiness. Just as suddenly he turned away and pushed open one of the double doors, closing it quietly behind him. Tsunade sensed chakra flow and caught the scattered muttering of a jutsu. A moment later she heard the sharp retort of a transport jutsu taking effect.

His statement left her confused and with a mounting headache, but a smile slowly crept onto her face anyway as she absentmindedly felt her neckline, her fingers remembering the necklace that she had given up to Naruto after he had won her bet those years ago. She watched motes of dust shift through the sunlight pouring in through one of the windows, a small bubble of hope rising in her chest as she contemplated Sai's mysterious parting.

'_Somehow,'_ she thought as she grabbed a clean sheet of paper and a pen out of her desk, a grin worthy of Naruto on her face as she began to write.

Somehow she didn't think he had meant Danzo.

* * *

The doors to the Hokage's tower finally opened and two familiar ninja walked out, one with a shock of yellow blonde hair, the other with short pink tresses, hanging shoulder-length. The mysterious figure hidden among the branches of a nearby tree stared down at them, his intense gaze focused on the bouncing bob of yellow, orange, and black, sparing only a short glance towards the other. He narrowed his eyes, intensifying his stare, until he could make out the three tell-tale whisker marks on each side of his target's cheeks. He let out a short breath. Ino was right: they were back. 

As he watched his counter-part walk past his chosen tree, chatting animatedly with his companion, he thought for a moment, wondering if he should make his presence known. He decided against it, and within a moment had jumped into the next tree, silently stalking his quarry.

He could wait.

_He had done this many times before. Many times was he given the opportunity to do his life's work: to hold a kunai at the enemy's throat; to smell their sweat, their hatred, and, most of all, the overpowering stench of their fear. And then press inward and feel the warm, almost hot, liquid spill over his fingers. Smell that bitter-sweet metallic tang of freshly spilled blood as his fingers would slip slightly on the sharp object as his victim twitched in his grasp, sometimes giving one last, strangled, gurgle as they died, sometimes with the more veteran ninja they would only crumple silently to the ground, dieing with a little mustered dignity._

_He had always wondered afterwards how he would die._

_It wasn't so much the death that made him feel alive. It was the moments leading up to it, the short, intense seconds in time where he revealed in the power he had over life: the right to set it free and live or the more common act of taking it away. In those moments he felt above the hatred, prejudice, and loneliness of his life. In those moments he held dominion over death itself._

_And as the secret weapon of the Nakamura clan of Iwagakure he was given plenty of opportunity for his work. _

_Tonight was no different, he told himself. Tonight, once again would he wander the thin line between life and death, sanity and chaos, as he felt that strange exhilaration knowing that he was not only destroying his enemy but himself as well. 'The kunai's edge' as his clan leader, Ishumaru, always called it._

_But, unbeknownst to him, that night it would be different._

_His targets were the newly arrived leaf nins sent as ambassadors to the Hidden Rock village. Apparently, it had been a subterfuge of some sort and they had had an ulterior motive in coming here that the Kage hadn't liked. Deeply disliked. Not that he knew. Or cared. But what he did care about was that he and several other rock nins had been assigned the task of destroying them. And for him…one ninja in particular. _

_He stared down at the shock of yellow blonde hair beneath him. The leaf nin still couldn't figure out where he was hiding. _

_Growing tired of this, he leapt out of the tree, twisting around in midair so when he landed he was facing the leaf nin. The blonde idiot just stared at him. He wished he hadn't gotten a slow one._

"_Why are you doing this?" the ninja asked. He was already covered with numerous cuts and bruises. There was an odd note of surprise in his voice, as if he hadn't expected this from him in particular. But why? He was a stranger. The rock nin frowned. This encounter was getting weirder… and more pathetic the longer this took._

"_Because I was ordered to," he answered emotionlessly, slipping a hand into his ninja holster. _

"_And you always do what you're told?" the ninja asked, angry now for some reason. He rushed the leaf nin while he was still talking, the kunai he had taken out flashing in the stark moonlight. He was surprised to find that he was countered; the leaf nin had drawn his own kunai, deflecting his. He had honestly thought that the idiot would be too slow to block the strike. He almost smiled twistedly. Maybe this would be more interesting than he thought._

_He jumped back and quickly rushed him again, engaging him this time in close combat. They exchanged quickly laid kicks and punches, neither of them laying a good hand on the other. Not that he was trying very hard. If he was this ninja would already be out cold; he merely wished to see how good he was. In the very back of his mind he also acknowledged the fact that he was curious as to why the Tsuchikage wanted him to go after this one in particular: he been very adamant about it which was very peculiar. _

_It was an odd trait of his: curiosity in dangerous situations. That should have been his first warning. _

"_I do what a shinobi must," he answered between blows. As his hands and feet flew through the air he was surprised by a kick to his chest, sending him flying backwards. He twisted in the air, landing on his feet a short distance away. He always landed on his feet._

_His eyes narrowed when he was surprised that the leaf nin didn't take advantage of the opening and move in. Something about the way he had been fighting suddenly clicked in his head. He was only fighting defensively, not offensively. That wouldn't have been so surprising except he also seemed to be avoiding causing _him _as such damage as possible too. Now that he thought about it, there were a couple of times where he had probably taken his blows purposely, to avoid having to hurt him out of self defense. His suspicions were confirmed when the ninja dropped his fighting pose._

"_Listen, you don't have to do this. I'm like you-" "Why aren't you attacking?" he interrupted, angry now. Did this leaf nin think he was too weak to take seriously? If so, he would soon correct him in his thinking._

"_Because I don't want to hurt you! Just listen to me!"_

"_But I, however, wish to hurt you," he interrupted again, impassively. He knew what was going on now. This leaf nin was trying to talk his way out of this. Well, he thought as he started to circle him, a different strategy formulating in his mind, he was going to have to fight him soon because he had decided he was not going to let this one go. This façade wasn't going to work on him._

"_I will surrender myself to you if you promise to hear me out." He almost stopped in shock. What was this leaf nin playing at? But he quickly resumed, never leaving an opening for long. He couldn't afford to be distracted by what this ninja was saying._

"_If you wish for me to listen to you," he said, putting his drawn kunai away and focusing chakra to his feet as he spoke, "Then tell me the shinobi way. Force me to listen."_

_He launched into the air with a chakra-enforced kick, drew his hands back and threw some senbon that he had tucked into his wrist bands, the chakra strings attached to them making a strange whistling sound as they undulated in the air. The blonde ninja leapt quickly back, dodging the flying needles and the almost invisible chakra strings to be safe. This attack was much more effective in the pitch of a cloudy night, when the silver moonlight didn't reveal the strings, but it didn't matter. This time, it was only meant to be a distraction._

_He slipped among the trees, quickly throwing more needles to distract him. He dodged them with surprising agility, shouting as he did._

"_A shinobi isn't always about force!" he shouted, the chakra strings whipping around him._

"_The way of the shinobi is all _about_ force," he countered coldly. He snapped his fingers. Several strings still floating in the air suddenly changed direction, snapping towards the ninja. Surprised, he still managed to avoid most of them. Except one. It snapped around his left leg, pulling him down. Only his other knee kept him from crashing painfully face down on the ground. "The way of the shinobi is all about force, pain, destruction…" He stepped into view on a tree branch above him. "…and death."_

"_No," he gasped, pulling himself up, cutting the chakra string with his kunai. "The shinobi is also a protector, a guardian of his people. Not just an instrument of death."_

_He narrowed his eyes at that, his brow furrowed with disbelief and disgust, as he gazed at the leaf nin. "Leaf nin, you are the strangest ninja I have ever met." "I have a name you know. Naruto Uzumaki," he interrupted. The rock nin went on as if he had said nothing. "Did they make you a ninja out of charity? Or pity?"_

_The leaf nin growled at his comment, his blue eyes glazed with silver as he glared at him with that startling gaze. He just glared back, his icy demeanor dropping a couple of degrees in temperature._

"_You have no idea," he whispered, slowly raising his hands to form a very familiar jutsu. It was time to end this game of cat and mouse. "The shinobi is bound to his village's desires. He is nothing more than a tool to fulfill his Kage's whims. That is all a shinobi is." _

_The leaf nin, this Naruto Uzumaki, surprised him yet again with a snort of contempt. He raised his arms and spaced his feet, drawing himself into a fighting stance._

"_Like I haven't heard that one before," he retorted.

* * *

_

Sai knelt at the feet of his master, his head bowed, waiting for him to speak. The room that he met his master in was poorly lit, a few, stray candles in the corners providing the little amount of light. But he didn't need the light to tell what the expression on his old master's face would be. He could feel his anger in the air.

"I am disappointed in you Sai…"

* * *

**Fin.** So what you'd think? This is a little different from the way I normally write (aka: interesting) and I'm very pleased with the result. Normally I'm a more description based writer: dialoge doesn't come easily to me. But I think I did quite alright on this. This is not my first time writing as you can (hopefully) tell and I've got to say that I really enjoyed writing this peice.

This is supposed to be a relatively short story (for me), I'm looking at five chapters. If you want to continue reading this I suggest that you put this on your Alert. I'm pretty slow at updating (sorry).

And if you noticed the lackluster tone in my Author's notes it's because it's the early morning and I stayed up all last night reading fanfiction and finishing this. I blame sleep deprivation. And stupidity.

Please review, critique, flame, love, etc. Any feedback is good, I just need to know that people are reading this. The very worse thing you can do for a writer is to give no feedback at all.

Love (yawn) -'Eagle

* * *


	2. The Stage is Set

Urgh, no excuses. I'm a dumbass. Had _complete _writer's block for two years, couldn't write _anything_. That, like, the seventh level of Hell.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, I am making no profit off this, just a blow to the self-esteem.

Warnings: Violence and swearing. And comma abuse. Not sure what's worse. Probably the swearing. Oh, and, one of these days I'm going to break this site. Chapter length is wtf.

...Is it bad that I had this mostly written out August of two years ago?

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Stage is Set**

Sai waited, knowing that there would be more to come. He was not disappointed.

"Why did you not report to me of these…developments?" Sai heard Danzo ground out. He must be clenching his teeth. Sai had underestimated his level of irritation: he was furious. Sai lowered his head even more by a fraction. Not out of fear, but merely as a gesture of acknowledgement of his master's vexation with him. Hopefully, it would appease Danzo a little. Because of this, though, he didn't notice the change in Danzo's expression. His already suspicious gaze narrowed even further at his subordinate. Sai did not make allowances for anyone.

"Well?" Danzo demanded, apparently not in the mood for the formalities. Sai lifted his head to look at his master, getting right to the point.

"We were covering territory fairly quickly, very supervised. I had to stay with the main group or risk the chance of falling behind and missing imperative information or being detected. Also, I discovered that some of your contacts were compromised, leading me to believe that further caution and care on my part would be a good recourse." Of course, he didn't mention that _he_ had been the one doing the compromising when some of the over-zealous spies in the Lightning country's investigations had dug up some…incriminating information. Sai had had to make sure that the information would not pass back to Danzo in any way.

Needless to say, they weren't in any position now. In Kumogakure, traitors weren't tolerated to live.

"Hmph," Danzo grunted. After a moments pause, his body's position shifted slightly, his straight-backed sitting position becoming more comfortable. It meant that he had accepted his explanation for now. Sai's expression did not change.

Danzo rubbed his right shoulder directly above the amputated stump of his right arm thoughtfully. "Report," he finally commanded authoritatively, letting go of his shoulder to rest his hand on his knee. Sai bowed again and reported, regurgitating Kakashi's version of events, changing and tweaking things here and there to make it more believable. There was no need to add or take away too much from his testimony.

By the time he was finished Danzo was once again massaging his ruined limb, deep in thought. Sai waited patiently, his head angled back down.

"One is a trained shinobi, but is also the weakest. The other has potential, but is an inexperienced maid. And the last is a genjutsu expert who cannot fight," Danzo concluded thoughtfully, his fingers pulling and stretching the damaged skin. He smiled triumphantly. "Then the situation is not as dire as we had initially feared. They can be controlled."

Sai did not speak.

Danzo turned his attention back to Sai, his hand leaving his shoulder as he focused on his subordinate. A frown etched the lines deeper on his aged face as his one-eyed gaze rested on his spy.

"However, I do not like the Akatsuki's growing boldness nor the Kyuubi's container's continuing free license. Not only has it become clear that he is in great danger from these trumped up missing nins, but he is growing arrogant with Tsunade dotting on him. He has become overconfident in his abilities and does not listen to orders. And furthermore, he's dragging those surrounding him, talented and promising young ninja, along with him. His egotism alone could become a great threat." Sai unexpectedly had a sudden mental image of what Naruto's reaction would have been if he had heard Danzo refer to him as the 'Kyuubi's container.' Undoubtedly something loud, violent, vulgar, and very inappropriate. Sai smiled at the thought.

Danzo eyed Sai sudden change in expression warily. Sai was even more difficult to read when he did show emotion. Sai turned his smiling face upwards, his eyes mocking half-moon crescents as he smiled blandly at his master.

"That is nothing to be concerned about. His fat-head should be the least of your problems."

* * *

_Naruto slumped down in his desk, sliding down until only his spiky blonde locks peeked out above it. An inordinate amount of killer intent was radiating from the front of the classroom. Man, Iruka-sensei sure could give a scary glare sometimes. He could peel the polish off the wood with that look. The vein throbbing in his left temple wasn't looking too good either._

_Naruto tried to make himself as small as possible, hoping to nudge Iruka's attention__ away from him and back to the class so he would stop looking at him like that. After a couple of tense minutes (which Naruto utilized in planning various, fast escape routes in the fully possible event that Iruka finally snapped) Iruka's black aura finally started leeching away as he engaged in teaching the class the 'ninja hierarchy.' _

"_In the average ninja village there are five official classes of ninja: pre-genin or __Ninja Academy students such as yourselves, genin, chunin, jonin, and Hokage as the highest level of ninja," Iruka explained, finally cooling down as he faced his eager class. Or almost. Naruto (who happened to already to be in the correct position) was already beginning to nod off. He perked up when he heard the Hokage mentioned however. That's what he had wanted to be since forever! Naruto leaned forward, intently listening to what Iruka was saying (it was a first), but leaned back again, disappointed, when he realized that Iruka had passed on the Hokage and was going on about someone called 'sannin' (sennin? lemon?) and some sort of elite jonin group or another. 'Nothing important,' Naruto thought as he crossed his arms and laid his head on the desk, fully prepared to give in to the insistent pull that was closing his eyelids and dragging his head down. 'Nothing that would help me become Hokage anyway.'_

"_What an idiot…"_

_The muscles in Naruto's shoulders tensed though he didn't move or give any sign that he had heard anything._

"_I know. Three__ years and he still can't do a simple Henge jutsu!"_

_Naruto shifted slightly in his seat and discreetly took a peek in the direction of the whispers through the part in his arms, his blonde bangs effectively hiding the glance. A couple of his classmates, sitting to the right and a row back, apparently found Iruka's lectures to be about as interesting as Naruto did. Instead of paying attention they were talking amongst themselves…and had found a much more interesting topic than the 'ninja hierarchy': him. That much was apparent by their snickers, snide glances in his direction, and less than discreet comments._

"_And that jutsu he invented! No _real_ ninja would ever use _that _technique!"_

"_Haha! He is such a loser, like someone like him could ever become Hokage!"_

"_They would have to be wrong in the head to even make him a _ninja_!"_

_Stifled laughter followed their remarks, believing that the subject of their conversation was safely asleep on his desk.__ Naruto clutched his arms tightly, trying to hid the slight trembling in his frame and fought back the hot, prickling sensation in his eyes. He felt low and…useless. He had already screwed up today; he had failed horribly in his Henge of the Old Man Hokage. And in front of the entire class too. He had tried to make out his miserable attempt as a joke, but Iruka-sensei and all of his classmates knew the truth. He sucked._

_Naruto's knuckles were turning white with the strength of his grip on his arms. He didn't understand it! He had tried so hard! He practiced his Henge everyday (and his other jutsus) and he never got any better! He just kept on screwing up and getting kicked down and he never got anywhere!_

'Useless_…' "If he was any worse they would have put him in a padded room so he wouldn't hurt himself!"_

_Naruto couldn't take it anymore. He stood up and spun around, his right hand extended and index finger pointing, quivering with fury._

"_Oh yeah, Nagaharu? If you were any worse with your shuriken then maybe you would have already killed someone instead of your own cat!"_

"_What- Shut up! That was an accident, you loser!" The boy leaped up, ready to jump Naruto. Naruto beat him to it._

_The ruckus they caused immediately incurred Iruka's ire. "STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" he screamed at them, his patience worn clean through by Naruto's previous little 'joke.'__ The classmates near them instantly grabbed and tried to restrain the fighting boys._

_Naruto struggled against the ones holding him, determined to show him and everyone else that he wasn't an idiot and he wasn't weak. "What? You gonna go cry to your mama? I haven't even started on you yet!" Naruto taunted, trying to lunge at his insulter despite the restraint on his arms. The boy dove forward too at the insult as his friends started to pull him away._

"_I would've made you run to yours if you'd had any!"_

"_Enough!"_

_They both turned to find Iruka-sensei standing next to them. His arms were crossed as he looked down at them, his mouth and brow furrowed. "Nagaharu, Naruto, I don't know what started this and I won't pretend that I do, but fighting in class is not the solution to your differences. Both of you have after school detention." Groans and instant protests followed this, Naruto bring the loudest as usual._

"_Awww, come on Iruka-sensei! It wasn't that serious…"_

_A large stress-mark reappeared on Iruka's temple. "Naruto, you already have detention all week! Don't push your luck!"_

"_What! ? When did that happen?" Naruto yelped. He'd be scrubbing the Academy floors for a week!_

"_Just now! For this and that little perversion earlier! And for every other jo__ke and prank and idiocy that popped into that empty head of yours since the day before yesterday! And if you skip any one of them I will _personally_ make sure you spend the rest of the year cleaning every square _inch_ of this Academy, from top to bottom!"_

_Naruto wisely decided to save his soon to be raw and water-chapped skin and shut his mouth. Iruka looked back and forth between the two boys. Seeing no further retaliation he continued, "I'm splitting you two up so this kind of thing doesn't happen again. Nagaharu, go to the front and take the seat next to Tone. Naruto, you can go to the other side and share a bench with Sasuke. This is not up to discussion," Iruka added, seeing Naruto's scowl at the mention of Sasuke. He hated that kid!_

_Naruto gathered up his few things and made his way to the far corner of the room, shooting one last insulting glare at the other boy. He'd make sure to get him back later. And Iruka-sensei too for being so lame as to give him a whole week of detention. Maybe he should put a frog in the drawer of his desk…or tadpoles…or maybe the whole pond…_

_Naruto mused over various forms of retribution as he ambled over to Sasuke's desk. Sasuke__ always sat at the extreme right of the room, at the farthest end of an empty desk, right next to the wall. Naruto didn't know what his problem was. He was popular, a pretty boy and the coolest guy in their class and yet he sat in the corner of the classroom, alone. He didn't have to be. Everybody liked him. Many of the guy's wanted to be him. More of the girls wanted to date him. But it didn't matter who it was; if they tried to sit next to the Uchiha they got the patented-and-owned-Sasuke-Uchiha-death glare until they moved. The guy just wanted to be alone. And Naruto couldn't understand that at all._

_Naruto had tried hard not to end up sitting next to Sasuke. It wasn't like he was afraid of him or anything; he just pissed him off. Everybody made such a big deal about him, and he acted all arrogant and superior all the time. He didn't see what everybody saw in him. He wasn't so great._

_Sasuke was sitting at his place as usual, his hands folded and elbows resting on the desktop. An impassive expression was on his face, but it didn't hide his distinctly bored air with his head angled forward and his dark eyes closed. Naruto grouchily slid into his desk and slouched back down into his seat, crossing his arms and grumpily looked off into the other direction. Sasuke's eyes opened as he felt vibrations run through the wood. 'Not another one,' Sasuke thought, annoyance twitching at his features. Sasuke sho__t a testy glare at the intruder. He fully expected to find one of his bolder fangirls swooning over him or some loser trying to look cool by sitting next to him, but was surprised to see Naruto sitting there instead, turned away from him and perched at the edge of his seat as if ready to sprint up and run at any moment. Sasuke's surprise quickly turned to suspicion as he looked him up and down, trying to access the reason why he was here. Sasuke was slightly relieved to see that it didn't look like the blonde dunce was here by choice, judging by the look on his face. But he was still here._

"_What are you doing here, dobe?" Sasuke asked, his voice coolly arrogant. Naruto's head snapped around to glare at him, his bright blue eyes narrowed in anger._

"_Sitting, Sasuke-teme. Last time I checked it wasn't a crime," Naruto snapped back, riled up by Sasuke's 'nickname.' Sasuke snorted in irritation. _

"_I mean _why_ are you sitting there, usuratonkachi," Sasuke stated, growing more exasperated by the second. Naruto had that effect on people. Naruto fully twisted around, ready to shout to the Uchiha-bastard every reason why he __didn't__ want to be here. However, Iruka had one last thing to say to Naruto at the split second before the words could come out of his mouth._

"_And Naruto, if you place _one _more toe out of line today I'm going to show the class how to skin you with a kunai. _Alive._"_

_Naruto shut his mouth. He wondered if Iruka was psychic or just had a really good sensei instinct for that kind of thing. Sasuke's eyebrow lifted at Iruka's statement, the conclusion instantly coming to mind. Sasuke was indeed the sharpest one in their class. He turned back to the front of the class again, deeply annoyed at the turn of events._

"_So, you got into trouble and was assigned to this desk? Idiot, you don't do anything right do you?" Sasuke didn't like __anyone__ sitting near him. People were a distraction and a hindrance. They only got in his way._

_Naruto growled deep in his throat. "Listen to me, Sasuke-bastard, I'm going to be Hokage someday and I won't take any crap from you or anyone else! Because once I am Hokage you'll have to listen to me and respect me!"_

"_Hokage…you? Not in a million years," Sasuke said, shooting a dismissive glance from under his bangs. But despite himself he was curious. This idiot seemed to really think he would become Hokage._

_He was delusional, Sasuke decided._

"_Do you think if you just keep repeating it your dream will__ come true you idiot? Hokage's have to have talent and work hard to be good enough to have the title of the greatest ninja in the village. _You_ don't have any talent, except for pulling stupid pranks. You never work. All you do is prank and play all day long without getting any stronger." Sasuke said with disgust, fixing him with an icy glare._

"_You're weak," Sasuke hissed, almost hatefully. Though Naruto didn't know that the hate wasn't for him, really._

_**Killing you wouldn't be a measure of my power.**_

_Naruto opened and closed his mouth furiously, trying to find a witty comeback but failing. Always failing. Naruto could have told Sasuke the truth. That he worked every day; that he would practice for so long and so hard that he would come home exhausted and aching, his knuckles bloodied. That he would rather stay out all night practicing taijutsu than try and go home and study, something that he had never been capable of doing and was wasted time trying. That he would do this and fail every test, bookwork and taijutsu, because something would go wrong, something unforeseeable or as a result of some earlier mischief or him just plain screwing up. And that his classmates would laugh, shaking their heads in satisfaction as everything they thought about him was proven true time and again, as they were shown that he didn't deserve the respect that had never been granted to him. Something that he had never had. He could have told him this, but then it would have been just too pathetic. Too pathetic, too painful, and too weak. And then Sasuke would have only looked down on him more. And for some strange reason Naruto didn't want to be look down upon by Sasuke. Not by the boy whom everyone loved, admired and thought was so cool with his attitude and handsome looks. Someone that had everything he had ever wanted and never even had to ask for it._

_Naruto collapsed back down into his seat, his messy blonde hair covering his eyes. "Yeah, like you know anything," Naruto muttered lamely, trying to hide the fact that Sasuke had struck something._

'_Hn, he's easier to read than a book,' Sasuke thought disgustedly. __Loud laughter from across the room distracted his attention from the blonde. Sasuke's sharp eyes searched the room and located the commotion near the front of the room, directly across the classroom from his seat. Iruka had gone out for a moment and the class was goofing off in his absence. One boy in particular was on top of a desk and was doing an imitation of a really poor Henge jutsu, egged on by the loud laughter of his peers. It took Sasuke only a few seconds to recognize that he was mimicking Naruto, his class mates shooting cruel, derisive looks in his direction between loud bursts of laughter. _

_Sasuke glanced at the blond next to him, his black obsidian eyes easily picking out the slight tremble of his clenched hands in his lap and the tense set of his shoulders. Sasuke sat back into his seat, lowering his head slightly so his dark bangs covered his eyes._

"_Hey…Naruto…" Naruto jerked slightly at his name, his mind obviously having been elsewhere. Naruto slowly looked around at Sasuke, surprised. He couldn't remember the last time Sasuke had actually called him by name, instead of the usual insulting titles._

"_Yeah…what?" In fact, now that he thought about it, he was positive that Sasuke had __never__ called him be his real name before._

"…_Why do you want to become Hokage so much?" Sasuke asked. There was a faint curiosity in the question that surprised Naruto. Why would Sasuke be interested in his dream?_

"_Because, if I become Hokage then the whole village will have to respect me, start treating me like an equal." Sasuke could still hear the jeering laughter between Naruto's words. "Like I'm somebody. Somebody important." _

"_So…you seek recognition?" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I'm going to grow stronger and be better than anybody else! Including you, Sasuke-teme!"_

_Sasuke jerked his gaze back up at him, surprise momentarily registered on his face. Something passed behind his eyes and he lowered his head again, his eyes shadowed. A smile passed across his lips briefly, trailed closely by a smirk._

"_You'll never beat me, dobe." Naruto glared at him. "But," Sasuke turned to gaze back into his deep blue eyes, "I look forward to watching you try."_

_Silence settled between the two boys for a moment, then two. Then Naruto slowly raised his hand and held it out to Sasuke, a smile on his face and…steely determination in his eyes._

"_It's a deal, teme." Sasuke stared at him for a moment. Then reached out and grasped his hand with his._

"_Deal," he amended also, a challenging smirk on his face._

_They broke the contact quickly but continued to stare at each other for a long moment. Then they both turned to the front, a small smile flickering on both of their faces. Iruka came back in and settled down the class, starting another lecture from where he had left off. Naruto watched his sensei talk (about what, he never knew) oddly content for perhaps the first time in his life. There was a small bubble of happiness situated somewhere in his chest and he didn't want to lose it._

"…_You know, Sasuke, I WILL get stronger. Just you watch. I will be Hokage someday even if I'm as old as the Sandaime before that happens. Cause that's my dream and I'm never going to let it go!" Sasuke smiled, though it was a weird, creepy smile that hid his eyes. Naruto was aware of it, but for some bizarre reason that didn't stop him from saying what he said next. "You neither, Sasuke!"_

_Something changed._

_Naruto blinked. Why did he say that? 'Let him go?' But he's right here! Next to him!_

_Wait…_

_Suddenly, the sound was gone. But nothing had changed. Iruka was still at the front of the classroom, his lips moving as if he was talking. But nothing came out. It was as if someone had snuck up behind him and stuffed cotton balls into his ears. Naruto saw Sakura raise her hand, her eyes bright and eager as Iruka pointed__ at her as he would when he would give her permission to answer a question. But when she stood up to answer Naruto couldn't hear her. Her mouth moved, but he could not hear her voice._

"_But…but you left," Naruto heard himself say. The sound of his voice in this eerie silence was chilling. Naruto could feel something was coming. He could feel it in the back of his head, like something was shoving through his brain, trying to get out. He couldn't move or turn his head. He could only stare at the front of the classroom. He couldn't see Sasuke._

"_**You shouldn't have risked your dream to come after me."**_

_Everyone was gone. Naruto had blinked and then he was alone. The classroom was empty. Iru__ka, Sakura, everyone…they had all vanished into thin air. Naruto stood up frantically, his earlier paralysis gone and forgotten. Where were they? Iruka, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, Shino? His friends…? Naruto stopped, his eyes widened._

_Friends…? He didn't have any friends. A demon didn't have friends._

_Demon…? Was he a demon?_

_He could feel something coming, shoving through his head, trying to get out._

"_**Idiot."**__ Naruto could feel Sasuke next to him. His presence was like a blast of cold air, his voice made Naruto feel like shivering or convulsing with its bitter frost. _

_Naruto slowly turned toward Sasuke, agonizingly slow. He could hear his pumping heart, beating thunderously with every movement. He looked at Sasuke._

_His heart stopped as his gaze met Sasuke's eyes. They weren't his eyes. Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan whirled wickedly where Sasuke's coal-black ones were supposed to be. The black, flame-like pattern of the Cursed Seal covered his skin. Sasuke smiled, a slow twisted smile of an almost gleeful madness._

"_**That's not a good enough reason not to kill you."**_

_Screaming, the shrieking of a thousand birds, filled Naruto's senses. His gaze was locked onto Sasuke's, but in his peripheral vision he could see the flicker of blue lightening. Sasuke leaned forward with an almost seductive grace, drawing closer until all he could see was that evil Sharingan, made all the more ominous by the blue light that only served to bring out the blood-like red color of the Sharingan eye._

"_**It was because of whim that I let you live."**_

_Naruto could feel is heart beating; he could hear the pulse of the blood in his ears. Sasuke drew back slightly, the curse marks and the smile gone but the expression that replaced it was as cold and frigid as winter night's face. And it scared Naruto more than the crazy smile had a moment ago._

_Because this was him. This was the real Sasuke._

_The one that he, deep down, doubted he could ever bring back._

"_**And because of whim that I will kill you now."**_

_His evil Sharingan eyes never leaving his, Sasuke raised his hand and thrust the Chidori into Naruto's chest._

The dream shattered.

* * *

A couple of miles away, on the other side of the village, Gaara stood on the tiled roof of a villa, the full moon behind him, a cold breeze rustling his already wind-tosses red hair. He had exchanged his ceremonial Kage's robes earlier in favor for his regular, more comfortable black ninja attire. His gourd of sand, as always, lay across his back trustily.

A particularly frigid gust of wind swept over him. Gaara lifted his head and closed his eyes, savoring the icy-cold air on his already chilled skin, his wild locks blowing about hazardly.

He still didn't sleep. Even though Shukaku had been extracted from him only months ago, Gaara still couldn't let his guard down enough to slip into that black oblivion. The habit was too deeply ingrained in him, he supposed. If he was to analyze why though, Gaara might have admitted that fear might have been part of the reason. Having never really slept in his life unless for defensive purposes, Gaara really had no idea what it was like. Did you go out like a light? Or was it a gradual thing? What were dreams? How did it feel like to dream? He had wondered this when he had still been an innocent child and had never felt the real pain, and later pleasure, of death's passing. Before he had stopped asking questions that nobody would answer for him.

Gaara, on a strange whim (strange because he didn't have whims), leaned back even farther, sucking the cold air through his nose so it hit the back of his throat. His lips twitched. It was the kind of thing that someone like Naruto might have done in his place.

He decided that though it did feel weird, it felt good too.

The real reason why he didn't sleep now, besides out of habit, was tied up with his experience with death. After the Akatsuki had captured him and extracted his demon he had died, in the only true and literal sense of death. The process of dieing had been painful. But after that…nothing. No pain, hurt, or hate. No happiness or joy either. He just became nothing. He didn't really remember much of it except a sense of letting go, too innately tired to hold on. And then…

It had frightened him. Scared him when he had come back and realized how close he had come to completely slipping away. Sleep felt like that too. Like letting go and slipping away. At least when Shukaku had possessed him he had felt some small part of him awake and there, twisted perhaps but still there. It's similarity to death stayed Gaara from ever closing his eyes except to blink.

In sleep you felt nothing. And in death you felt nothing.

Gaara was tired of feeling nothing. That great emptiness in his life that threatened to strip him of his fragile sanity. He wanted to live, like other people lived, being a part of each day, each moment. Without even realizing it.

He gazed out across Konoha, staring up into the black void of the night sky, the brilliance of the moon obscuring the stars. Though in all technicality he was no longer a Jinchuriki he still felt isolated from other people, even his family sometimes though he was making such much progress with his siblings, especially Kankuro. It still helped him to be around Naruto, to know that there was someone else who understood what it felt like to be shunned, feared, and hated because of something inside of you…

Naruto became everything that Gaara wanted to be. True to himself. Surrounded by his friends. And most of all, determined to prove that despite what he was and everything that had happened to him in the past he would rise above it and become the Hokage of Konoha. To prove that he was someone who was respected, and loved, and…necessary.

He wondered what the others would mean to him.

* * *

Naruto woke up with a start, lurching up and forward and almost falling off his bed in his distress. Cold sweat practically poured off him, slight tremors running through his frame in spastic jerks. Only silence, and his heavy, gasping breath, met his over-sensitive ears.

It had only been a dream.

Naruto's harsh breathing rapidly slowed, the surreal-ness of the dream quickly shaken off by his awakening mind, though a slight twinge of fear stayed in his thoughts, a reminder of the absolute terror he had felt only a couple of minutes earlier.

He had been dreaming about _that, _again.

Naruto fell back onto his bed with a tired sigh. Running a hand through his damp locks, he rested his hand on his forehead, rubbing it absently. The absence of his hitae-ate beneath his fingertips was a strange sensation.

Thinking about his hitae-ate so recently after that dream inevitably drew Naruto's wandering eyes to his beside table. Naruto gazed at the drawer set into its wood, the emotion in his eyes distant. Naruto kept Sasuke's hitae-ate in there, the one he had marked with a slash through the Leaf village's symbol when Sasuke had mocked him, saying that Naruto didn't have the skill to touch one hair on his head. The irony that it now had an uncanny resemblance to the way the Akatsuki donned their hitae-ates was not lost on Naruto.

It seemed like it was almost fate that the Uchiha was determined to be his enemy.

Naruto purposely averted his eyes from his bedside table and now stared up at his ceiling. He knew that it didn't help anything, thinking about it, but he couldn't help it. The dream had left him in a very morbid mood and he was feeling too apathetic to shake himself out of it.

When Naruto was younger he would have never tolerated himself like this. He would have refused to dwell for long on his problems, always looking forward, never down or back. He had once been so afraid of these thoughts. Afraid that if he wallowed long enough in them he would lose the will to try, to live. And drown himself in that endless sea of sadness.

As Naruto got older though he spent more and more time thinking to himself. And more and more time brooding about Sasuke. He couldn't say that he was discouraged; in fact, he was more determined than ever. He was just…just beginning to accept what the consequences would be if he failed, if wasn't able to bring Sasuke back.

It didn't mean that he'd accepted defeat, of course. He had meant what he had said to Sakura: he would get Sasuke back, he bet his life on it.

And he didn't have any plans for dieing anytime soon; he was sure of that.

The window next to his bed looked out onto a small, narrow side-street. Despite the elevation of his apartment, Naruto was still below the level of the top of the surrounding buildings and because of that, Naruto, sprawled out on his bed, could only see a small sliver of the night sky from his position. Even so, he gazed at it with vague contemplation. He couldn't recall the events of the dream before the change in Sasuke with any precision, they were now only scattered fragments, but a gut feeling told him that parts of it had actually happened; an old memory mixed in with the vivid surrealness of the dream.

He wished that, for tonight at least, he hadn't dreamt of his old, black-haired teammate.

Naruto rolled over onto his other side and determinedly shut his eyes. He still didn't like to dwell on his obstacles.

* * *

The ABNU, the elite force of Konoha and the right arm of the Hokage, stalked quickly through the dense forest, the briefest stir of wind the only sign of their passing. They were not a patrol nor even a real squad since they only numbered three. Nor would the errand that they ran ever appear in the Hokage's files or be recorded in any way. Their purpose was singular and irregular: so much so, that they had left without any notice to their superiors or the Hokage herself. Given their orders, they set out immediately to carry them out, leaving behind their families, their dreams, their values, and themselves, hidden behind the ABNU masks. Such was the way of the ABNU.

Yet, even given the secret routines of the ABNU, their presence was peculiar. The ABNU always moved in groups of two or four, standard patrol consisting of two members and groups of four were sent out for missions. Only shinobi of the regular forces, usually fellow chunin team members, moved in threes. A three person ABNU squad was an anomaly.

The other oddity was their destination. They were in the midst of the mostly uninhabited, vast forests that lay directly south of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. There was nothing of note in the forests except flight and rumor, but they moved with a purpose, as if their destination was photographed clearly in their minds. Though they seemed to know exactly where they were going and moved with all the swiftness of a fleeting shadow, a close look at their movement showed their well-hidden agitation. Hurried glances at their surroundings (as if something was there), and their slightly more-than-necessary, close proximity to each other, gave away their nervousness. They ran as if they were ready to stop, and they jumped from tree branch to tree branch like they were ready to fly, at the slightest indication of movement or presence.

They had traveled like this for half the night and it took them only a few more hours to reach their goal. They stopped at the place their master had described. The forest opened up abruptly, the trees breaking and stopping at the edge of a small clearing, a scant twenty to thirty meters in diameter. The clearing hugged the side of a small steep hill, more like a large mound really, that rose sharply out of the forest floor, an odd disruption in the rolling hills that they had passed previously. The side of the hill that was exposed had suffered some sort of damage just recently; it declined sharply in a jumble of rock and stone, pieces of which littered the clearing's floor, half-buried under the clinging, new grass.

The ABNU stopped there. They hid in the branches of nearby trees, observing the place with careful, suspicious eyes. After an indeterminate amount of time crawled by, one signaled to the others: it was time to carry out their instructions. All three of them carefully left their branches, falling to the forest floor with barely a rustle of cloth. They warily stepped from the edge of the deserted clearing. Scanning the broken rock and the rough hillside, they could see no mark of a presence there other than themselves. They were alone.

"Spread out," the middle one ordered urgently, the mask over his face making his voice sound eerily disembodied. "Keep your eyes peeled and use all due caution. They don't appear to be here yet, but-"

"Sooo _tense._" The ABNU swung around with lightening-quick speed, falling instinctively into defensive stances and crouches, kunai held at the ready. The only thing these measures did was make the intruder's lip curl in derision.

The intruder stood on a tree branch high above them, clear to view. Blonde hair curved up into a high ponytail, one long, thick lock left to cover the right side of his face and part of his hitae-ate. The inscription on the metal showed him to be formally of Iwagakure, a long, thin slash cutting directly through the symbol effectively marking him as a missing- nin. He had a beautiful face, though distinctly male, and had one blue-green eye, gazing back at them, and an amused and scornful smile playing at his lips. A black coat, inscribed with a red-cloud design, flapped in folds around him.

"Deidara," one ABNU stated coolly, trying to appear calm and collected despite the shock and daunting presence of the missing-nin. The ABNU was a veteran, an experienced and talented captain, but even he hadn't sensed a shred of this man's chakra. He was obviously not one to challenge without the back-up of a specialized ABNU squad. The masked captain's eyes darted around again, reevaluating his surroundings, his scrutiny leading him to discover one other nin hidden in the top branch of a tree farther away. He remained hidden though the ABNU noted with some relief that he at least didn't seem quite as skilled as Deidara. Though, he was probably still a force to be reckoned with if he had managed to keep his chakra hidden from the captain for this long.

The missing-nin began talking again and the captain turned his attention back to the Akatsuki member in front of him. "All that careful planning and caution…" Deidara flicked back his length of hair with a dramatically contemptuous gesture, the other eye made briefly visible. Or what should have been another eye. Except, instead of where another blue-green eye should have been there was a metal scope, the glass lens quickly adjusting and re-adjusting as Deidara's blonde hair fell to cover it again. He smirked at the captain, as his slightly widened eyes remained staring at the place where the second eye had been, behind a curtain of hair. "You know it's useless, yeah?"

"A shinobi is always prepared for any situation," the captain retorted, tearing his eyes away from the hidden one, ruffled despite himself by the implication of his incompetence. Deidara's smile widened.

"Ah, quoting the lovely Guidelines to Shinobi Conduct now, hmmm?" Deidara threw back his head and laughed. "A publication about as useless as your maneuvers. I hope you show more creativity in a fight than you do in conversation or this is going to get boring very quickly, yeah," Deidara added, speaking the blatant threat in a merry, carefree tone, his eyes wide with a malicious amusement.

The other two ABNU tensed beside him. The captain quickly made a hidden motion, telling his subordinates to withhold from any action. They were not here for a fight. The captain slowly straightened, taking in deep breathes to calm his nervous body. He hadn't experienced this height of adrenaline on a mission for a long time.

Deidara dropped down from his perch and leisurely sauntered closer to them, completely relaxed. The ABNU had to grudgingly admit that he was impressed. This man showed all of the signs and confidence of an awesome shinobi, living up to his reputation as an Akatsuki and S-rank criminal. The man watched him closely, then inwardly sighed with relief: the nin didn't appear to be readying any tools or weapons beneath his bulky cloak, his hands in front and completely still. That increased their chances of completing their mission and leaving this clandestine rendezvous in one piece.

Of course, not _seeing_ him ready a weapon really meant nothing. The nin could probably hide any movement of that kind from him, might have already prepared his weapons in advanced, easily. But the captain had spent a long time in the ABNU, had a great deal of experience holding similar meetings with dangerous ninja: foreign, criminals, or not. And over that time he had gained an instinct for knowing when a would-be informant would turn a deal. And that instinct was telling him _now_ that this ninja wanted what they were going to exchange for him. And that might give them enough of an edge…

The ABNU stepped forward to meet Deidara. As he did, he could sense the tension and agitation radiating from his subordinates behind him. They itched to draw their ninjaken and rush the traitor ninja: to protect their captain or just draw blood from their cocky enemy. The captain could appreciate that: the need to fight an enemy and dangerous threat to Konoha was overpowering and was uniquely conditioned into an ABNU the moment they became a member of the off-the-books elite. But an experienced ABNU, one who would have been in the service for years, like the Copy-Cat Ninja, Kakashi, or the clone, Tenzo, knew better than to take the surface of a situation as reality. Many times the ABNU were sent on missions that seemed close to blatant murder assignments, killing seemingly innocent people many times. But, of course, there were always reasons behind those assignments; they just weren't privy to them. There was no deliberation between right and wrong in the ABNU: there were only the orders you were given and expected to fulfill, you thought for nothing else. As soon as these rookies realized that then maybe they had a chance to survive.

You never wanted to know those reasons. Because then you would have to actually begin to think of all the things you've done, the people you've killed. So you only took things at surface value, never knowing the real reasons. It was the only way to stay sane after every assassination mission, after every fresh coat of blood on your hands.

You made sure to believe those lies or truths, with all your heart.

The surface reality of this situation was that a dangerous missing-nin had wandered far too closed to Konohagakure and three ABNU, sworn to protect the hidden village, had crossed paths with him. Logically, with the given information, you would assume that they were here to engage in combat, to fight with all the strength they could muster and probably fail spectacularly with the results of their beautiful, glorious failure spread across the clearing like expensive manure. But that conclusion would be deducted with only half of the information. The other half would be found only five miles away in a shadowed dimple in the break of trees, where a cleverly hidden, month-old camp had taken residence. It could also be found in a pack, stored in one of the camouflaged tents, where a message was concealed from outside view, which had arrived earlier that evening, detailing a meeting for an exchange of information. And the conspicuous absence of the fourth member.

And, if the captain had been aware of it, the apparent negligence of passing on the information of this operation to Madame Hokage.

Deidara gazed amusedly at the ABNU. Even with a mask on it was too easy to read the emotions in the man. Hesitation, hate, hopelessness, and maybe even a little fear, an emotion that though the captain had probably been well acquainted with in his younger years, had felt little of it since and none that hadn't been well within his control. Deidara was tempted to grin; he had always loved that sense of fear that he was able to strike in the hardest of veterans, an intoxicating elixir to his ego. Deidara's smirk did grow wider, though, as he studied the markings on the ABNU's mask. For the most part, ABNU masks looked very much alike. There was actually a purpose to their ambiguity; a rather clever exploitation on a ninja's reliance on only what their eyes could see. When an ABNU squad attacked, the alikeness of their appearance threw the enemy off balance, creating confusion. Oftentimes, their target in the heat of battle could not distinguish between one masked ninja from the next, leading to the advantageous effects of the target being unable to focus on any one attacking unit and also making their numbers seem much greater than they actually were. It was a brilliant strategy and easy to employ: the elite of all the shinobi nations now employed this technique. However, though they were drawn to be interchangeable, they were all individually marked. Deidara wasn't very familiar with the animal masks of the Konoha ABNU, but he had heard stories about Itachi Uchiha and his time in the ABNU ranks. The plain but meticulously painted curves were drawn in that characteristic indistinction, but he could guess which animal it was from the long, unbroken strokes that marked the cheekbones of the animal, just beneath the eyeholes. Markings to give an impression of an elongated face.

Deidara wondered, silently laughing, what thoughts would cross the mysterious Uchiha's mind if he had seen the fool who had inherited his mask.

The masked nin stared at Deidara, recognizing the growing glee in the young man's normal eye. Fury curled deep in the pit of his stomach though he hastily repressed it. He moved forward and stopped, several feet stretching the boundary between them. Deidara stopped as well.

There was a pause. Then the captain slowly gathered his nerve, drawing on his ABNU training, refocusing himself solely on his objective. Though a shinobi did train for battle, and most vigorously too, there was also a more subtle objective for a ninja, one that in these times of mistrust and cunning politics overshadowed any other. They trafficked in it, sold it, gathered it, and used it with the guiding wisdom of the village council and the Hokage. The amorphous object that made the ninja of this world so drastically different from the swordsmen, soldiers, and other, wandering vagabonds that were part of the armed population.

Information.

"Before I begin, my master has instructed me to exact your word on a matter of great importance," the captain stated formally, his voice carefully controlled and measured.

Right to business then. "My word?" Deidara repeated, surprised and growing more amused by the second. "You want the word of a missing-nin?" Deidara arched one cocky eyebrow at the ABNU.

The ABNU's eye twitched behind his mask. This _nin's_ attitude was grinding against his self-control like sandpaper to wood. "My master believes that you Akatsuki govern yourselves with a sense of…honor. He thinks you will keep your word once you give it," the ABNU said through gritted teeth.

Oh, he had gotten a stiff one. Deidara smirked. "But you don't share his opinion," Deidara said, stating the obvious. The ABNU said nothing. Deidara sighed with mock wistfulness. "Oh, what have I done to earn such distrust?"

"Besides slaughtering one of our out-skirting units and several hundred of your countrymen?" the ABNU asked, his voice vibrating with hostility and contempt. He had heard about the patrol that had disappeared in this forest some weeks earlier.

"Oh yes, _those_ things," Deidara amended, chuckling. The ABNU shifted agitatedly before him. Deidara sighed once more. "Very well, what does he want me to swear to?"

"You are to give your word that you will only attack when he gives his permission. He wishes the circumstances to be favorable and the village to escape any unnecessary da-"

"Done," Deidara said, waving it off like he would some flying pest. The ABNU ground his teeth behind his mask. Whatever else his master might think, this nin's frivolous behavior made him seem about as honorable as fish paste. He still had his orders, however, and, deciding that he would get no more out of him, straightened and squared his shoulders. He wanted this over with.

"Very well. The last one, Naruto Uzumaki, arrived today from a mission of indeterminable status or location, though it is believed that they had passed through several countries in their travels. Beforehand we had received several reports…"

The ABNU captain detailed the complete report that his superior had given him, memorized word for word. After he finished, he withdrew a small, thin scroll from one of his greaves and passed it to Deidara.

"These are some diagrams of several areas that my master has planned for the abductions," the ABNU captain stated stonily, as Deidara opened the scroll and gazed at its contents with curiosity. He couldn't believe he had just given detailed information about Konohagakure to a missing-nin. "Once he deems the time and elements right he will send for you. He will leave a gap in the border patrol so that you can slip in undetected." A cold feeling swept through him at the thought.

"How kind of him," Deidara taunted lightly, not looking up from the drawings he was inspecting. He flicked his long strand of hair slightly, his scope lens zooming in on the minutely detailed maps. Deidara was mildly impressed. Like the masks, though simple in design, they were skillfully drawn and Deidara could appreciate the good hand that had made them. Even if, upon closer inspection, it became obvious that the maps were lacking in certain information. Deidara smirked again as he rolled the scroll back up. It mattered little. He had already done sweeps of Konoha atop his clay bird and the scoping device that served as his left eye had already given him all the information that he needed.

Deidara glanced back to the weasel-masked ABNU, feeling sudden annoyance at his presence. All of this was pointless. He didn't need these maps, his 'master's' permission, or even an opening. Kisame had told him about the runt and his friends and Deidara was more than confident that he could take all three of the Jinchuriki himself. This show of dependency was coming to an end.

"You can leave," Deidara said, flourishing a hand in a lazy dismissal. His smirk widened as he saw the ABNU stare at him with clenching fists then abruptly turn and stalk off, heading back to his comrades. Deidara's smile flickered. Unlike his old partner, Sasori, Deidara had never cared much for puppet shows.

"If you _can_." The ABNU froze then spun to face him, weapons appearing again in ready hands. 'I knew this was a trap!' the captain raged inwardly, readying his drawn ninjaken to run the smirking bastard through. The stupid son-of-a-bitch wasn't even reaching for a weapon. He just stood there with that creepy smile on his face. 'Not for long,' he thought in the space of the half-a-second it took for him to tighten his grip on his sword, the wrappings on the handle creaking underneath his hands. In the next second he was dead, his body thrown forward with his throat ripped open ruthlessly.

They had been facing the wrong direction.

The other two scrambled backwards as the dark figure spun to face them, his dark eyes glittering with malice. Other cloak-wrapped figures appeared between the trees, their hands full of needle-sharp kunai and shuriken. One of the remaining ABNU sucked in a sharp breath and charged the figure who had killed his captain, his comrade yelling at him to stop. He slashed at the man with a kunai which he deftly side-stepped. The ABNU followed with a kick and a handful of shuriken aimed at piercing every vital point on the man's torso. They struck home with sickening thumps. A cry of triumphant barely passed the young ABNU's lips when a flash of smoke engulfed the figure and a peculiar sound, like a dog's toy that had been trodden on, followed. A partly shattered, mossy stone, scored from the shuriken, dropped out of the wisp of smoke, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. The ninja had disappeared.

"What the- Where is he?" the ABNU said to the air, twisting about this way and that, looking frantically for his target. He appeared behind him, wrapping an arm around his neck.

"Right here," he whispered into the ABNU's ear, his deep voice echoing in the ABNU's panicked mind. He plunged his kunai into his back, shoving the weapon through muscle and bone, to pierce his heart. The ABNU jerked in his hands, a small, unidentifiable sound escaping from his masked lips. Blood dripped down from underneath the mask, the drops soiling the uniform and falling down to hang off the leaves of the new grass.

The figure let the body drop to the earth. He turned towards the last ABNU who stared, horrified, at the carnage of his former comrade. The other ninja circled him. One charged the lone shinobi, two following in the lead's wake. The lead struck: a whispered jutsu causing a column of stone to shoot out of the earth to crush the owl-masked ABNU. The ABNU quickly dodged it, the column of compressing stone pounding into the ground behind him. The other two rushed him, kunai drawn and stabbing towards him. He deflected one, pushing him back forcefully. The second saw his chance and attacked, his kunai scraping against his side, drawing a long, thin wound across the ABNU's flank. The ABNU fell back slightly and then counter-attacked, shoving a fist-full of kunai into the other's chest. With a grunt he too fell back, and the ABNU raced back into the forest, clutching his side as he moved from tree to tree with all the speed he could muster, several of the cloaked ninja racing after him.

Back at the clearing, many more of the small ninja force that had been preparing to follow after were stopped by the cold command of their leader and were left to mill uselessly in the open space. The leader ignored them and the absence of his other, pursuing forces and walked over to his subordinate that had been struck down. A couple of the more medically inclined ninja in the group had already made their way over to him. Even from a distance the leader could see that there was little chance that he had survived. While a couple had been removed, several kunai still lay buried deep in his chest, blood following copiously from the open wounds, down his chest, and pooling on the ground beneath him. The young leader stopped at the side of the designated medical nin of his group, Muzanori, who was bending over to examine the man. His cousin straightened and turned to look at him, pushing his overly long, dark bangs out of his eyes as he addressed him.

"He's dead. Several pierced aortic arteries and the lower jugular as well as other vital points. Died within five seconds. That ninja was very precise."

"More like lucky," the leader returned dismissively. "Bury him," he added, "we cannot carry around that much dead weight until we're back in Iwagakure."

The Rock nins around him bowed and nodded, dragging the body a short distance away to a permissible spot and began preparing the earth for the burial. The Rock nin turned and walked back to the corpses of the ABNU, looking down at them emotionlessly, as members of his force began dissecting their clothing to see if they could learn anything useful. His cousin came to stand beside him.

Muzanori shifted next to him. "Ish-" He cut himself off. He watched his leader's back apprehensively for a long moment, noticing the tenseness in the muscles, wondering if to continue but eventually settling to silently watch the proceedings when he refused to acknowledge him. They did so for a couple of long moments as the ninja stripped the clothing from the dead ABNU, their masks set aside to uncover their frozen faces, the skin of their features slowly losing color, their eyes glazed and wide with a now useless fear. Deidara watched the procedure from nearby with an open sneer.

"I'm guessing you're not going to send someone to check, are you?" The Rock nins' leader said nothing. Deidara snorted in disgust. "Fabulous. You do realize that if that ABNU gets away your surprise welcome party into Konoha is sunk, hm? Konoha's gates won't fall so easily to you if you let them be given warning. Might not even get inside the walls, at that."

"You overestimate the skill of the Hokage's shinobi." The Rock nins' leader had finally turned to address him, his dark eyes partially obscured by night dark bangs. He glared at Deidara, a snarl beginning to twist and curl around his lips. "And the competence of my own. They will catch him and kill him. I have confidence in my men. They would never-"

"And if they don't?" Deidara asked, arching an insolent brow.

"They will!" He finally snarled, his short temper finally lit. "They wouldn't dare come back to me otherwise! Their lives would be forfeit!" He reigned back slightly then, his jaw clenching shut and tightening from force of will. A short pause, then, "It would not matter if Konoha somehow got word. They are too few, too unskilled, and too under-manned at their posts. They have been since the invasion of Sand and Sound. We will be the last blow to fell an already wounded and dieing village. Once Rock invades it will be all over for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. They can do nothing to stop it."

"Tut tut," Deidara clicked dramatically, his arms lifted in an open-palmed shrug that was both casual and taunting. "Don't they have a saying for that? 'Arrogance is blind?' 'Hot air will always lose the race?' 'You can't beat the dead horse if the stick is up your ass?' They should have, yeah." Deidara chuckled appreciatively.

"So says the _murderer_ who killed his own countrymen out of arrogance!" The Rock nin roared, disappearing and reappearing in front of Deidara to stab savagely at him with his still blood-wet kunai. His weapon slashed through empty air, Deidara falling back and leaping onto a nearby new-cut boulder to crouch out of reach. There was a sudden rustling in the tree behind him, a startling crack, and another, more clumsy, Akatsuki member half-jumped, half-fell out of the tree, landing on what _should_ have been his neck except for the fact that it would have been impossible to have done so and then bounce back up again. He leapt onto the smaller boulder next to Deidara, chattering excitedly, like he hadn't even gotten a scratch.

"Are we fighting, Deidara-senpai? Tobi will be of great assistance and help Deidara-senpai and kill them all because Tobi is great and can easily kill them, but Tobi thought Deidara-senpai said-"

"Shut up, you fool, and stay back, I don't need your half-assed help!" Deidara yelled at Tobi, severely irritated at his appearance for such a stupid reason. As if he, the feared artistic genius Deidara, needed help from such a bumbling half-wit! And was he _really_ just about to blurt out their plans to the Rock nin forces? Ugh, he worked with a bunch of _idiots _who couldn't appreciate _anything_, like, for example, _subtleness_.

"But, what about-?"

"I said ENOUGH, you fool!" Deidara was almost about to reach into his cloak to retrieve one of his clay birds when he suddenly realized that all the Rock nin shinobi were watching their exchange with an intense interest. That cocky Rock leader especially was watching with a smug and contemptuous look on his face. Deidara gritted his teeth and lowered his half-raised hand, inwardly cursing stupid Tobi and making a silent promise to make him regret this idiocy later. Deidara shot him a look assuring his violent and messy death before turning back to the leader.

"You are overconfident in your belief of how this battle will go," Deidara stated hauntingly, ignoring what had just happened. "Though Konoha's forces _have _been depleted since the invasion three years ago, they have managed to keep appearances and even increase the number of accepted missions and success rate. What does that tell you? They may not have as many ninja at their disposal, but they make up for it with the quality of their shinobi! The under-skilled are simply the new genin that were graduated to replenish their forces. Even more, they _survived _that invasion and, as such, they won't be slow to react or organize once they realize they are under attack! You won't fight the unskilled; you'll be fighting experienced shinobi who already have experience with invasion tactics. _They won't just lie down and make it easy for you just because they don't have as many men!_"

"Who cares if they are experienced!? My men and I are just as skilled and more so! Konoha is soft and even if they have hardened after the invasion they still do not compare to our shinobi who have been tested through many more trials than the Leaf Village's genin and chunin. We know this, our spies have told us this and more! We have them outnumbered and out-skilled! And even is they have gone through an invasion, that doesn't mean that they will foresee this one! They will be broken and defeated before they can even muster a counterstrike!"

Deidara snorted. "You still underestimate them. And you're too bull-headed to even think outside of your plan. What will happen if you find you can't breach their defenses? If you are forced to give the retreat? You've given yourself no way out and no way to retreat and reorganize either. That's not just arrogance, that's stupidity."

"We do not plan to retreat because we will not," the Rock nin stated icily, the dark emotions in his eyes roiling and cracking behind the moonlight glaze. "We will pay our shame with our deaths if we were ever to lose in combat against _soft _Konohagakure," he said, sneering at the name. He glared hatefully at Deidara, eyes narrowing.

"And what do you care, traitor? Our deaths would only further your own agenda, I'm sure," he spat. Deidara leaned back at that and smiled tersely.

"It would," he sneered silkily, flipping back a strand of hair, "But you do provide the distraction and I don't want to be in the middle of business and find time's run out." He grinned down at him from his height. "You would make it easy for me, yeah."

"What, the great Deidara found something he can't do on his own?" the leader hissed, stepping closer, his eyes gleaming as if alive from a darker passion. "Perhaps now he regrets not having the support of his village and fellow shinobi in his time of need," he stated lowly.

Deidara burst into laughter. The Rock nin's eyes narrowed further and further as Deidara continued to laugh, full, loud, and long. After a long while he stopped, still chuckling from mirth. Deidara wiped tears from his eyes as his lips stretched into a wide smile at the now deeply seething leader. "But why would I ever miss such unimaginative, rock-headed _fools!_" Deidara cackled and he snapped.

"THEN _WHY_, EVEN FOR A MOMENT, SHOULD WE EVER THINK ABOUT HELPING **YOU**!?" he bellowed, his rage finally flying beyond all control. "YOU BETRAY IWAGAKURE, MURDER OUR COUNTRYMEN, AND THEN SELL OUR SECRETS TO THE HIGHEST BIDDER?!" His features crinkled into an animalistic expression that was, for a brief moment, terrifying. "We have no business here. No gain for our village could ever be had if it is for the benefit of the likes of YOU!"

He turned around, stalking away, his breathing ragged and loud in the dead still clearing, the shinobi still gathered around and silent. He only took a dozen steps before Deidara finally replied, his voice low but still carrying easily through the quiet clearing.

"You know why you are here, Ishumaru," Deidara said smoothly. He stopped, everything stilling, his breathing still audible. The stillness expanded in the darkness and Deidara continued, his sea-blue gaze still locked onto the back of one of the people who was part of the legacy of a village that he had never considered as home. His amused and now somewhat wry smile was still slipped on his lips. "You have and always will work for the betterment and glory of your clan."

"You could never let him go. Never let him leave like this."

Ishumaru's face was gilded by the moonlight, the features turned to stone in the monochrome. The fine, dark hair would flutter from time to time from the gentlest of breezes, the strands highlighted and streaming. Only his eyes showed the clawing, spiteful spirit, burning and consuming, others, himself. Those boiling eyes gazed out past the trees, past the shinobi, out to the moon and further beyond where only the blackness would swallow all of his hatred.

"Never escape," he muttered to himself. "Never from me."

* * *

When Naruto came to that morning, he woke to find that not only had his unconscious ninja skills somehow had maneuvered him _under _his own bed in his sleep, he had also summarily destroyed his alarm clock sometime that night (or morning, he couldn't tell) with a kunai, two pencils, and a pen from Tsunade that he had though he'd lost. The resulting bafflement that followed at his own sleeping ninja awesomeness delayed his realization, as he picked at the debris that was left of his own alarm clock bemusedly, until he had absentmindedly glanced out his apartment window. It took a couple seconds for him to notice what exactly he was looking at, and then another minute or so before he remembered what that meant.

"HOLY CRAP, I'M GONNA BE LATE!"

He also let the rest of his fellow apartment tenets know it too.

* * *

Naruto tripped out of his door, closed and locked it with one hand, and raced down the street with his other arm struggling through his jacket sleeve. The villagers stopped to stare at him as he passed, cursing vehemently at his jacket and barely watching where he was going in his haste. He narrowly missed running over two men running carts, an old woman (who had tried to beat him with her cane when he had stopped to waste precious seconds to apologize, the old hag), and several dumb animals (squirrels), and was finally working on zipping his jacket closed when he finally did collide into someone and went into a spectacular thirty-foot slide down the street and into a melon stand. It took only a few short seconds of stunned disbelief before both of the new occupants of the destroyed melon display decided to begin hollering at the top of their lungs.

"Aw great, Grandma Tsunade is going to kill me for this and- SHIT, I'm still gonna be late, _I'VE GOT TO GO-!_"

"**Hell no**, you goddamn bastard, you've gotta stick around a little so I can KICK YOUR FUCKTARD ASS!"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING FUCKTARD, IDIOT?! YOU WERE THE RETARD WHO JUMPED OUT INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE GODDAMN ROAD LIKE A DUMBASS SQUIRREL!"

"IT WAS THE GODDAMN SIDE OF THE STREET, YOU FUCKTARD. AND YOU WERE THE ONE WHO WASN'T WATCHING WHERE YOU WERE GOING AND **RAN ME OVER**, IDIOT!"

"AaarGHHH, THAT'S IT! I was going to let you apologize and clean this up since I'm kinda in a hurry, but if all you're going to do is SIT THERE AND INSULT ME-!"

"_APOLOGIZE?! _YOU THINK I'M GOING TO FUCKING APOLOGIZE AFTER YOU WERE THE ONE WHO-!"

"-FIND YOU AND KICK YOUR ASS TO THE HOKAGE MONUMENT AND _I'M GONNA BE SO FUCKING LATE BECAUSE OF YOU-!_"

It was at that moment that they both emerged from the pile of melons that littered the street and upon noticing eachother abruptly cut themselves off and blinked owlishly at eachother. Naruto was the first to recover.

"Kiba? What are you doing here…?"

"I should be asking the same thing, Naruto. I thought you were still out on that mission of yours…?"

"Hm, well look at this. Two peas in a pod. I suppose that means you're both idiots then."

"Huh?" Naruto glanced over to the side and saw a fellow ninja standing there. He wore a long overcoat thrown over the top of his head, covering his hair and much of himself, and another coat underneath that extended up into a collar that completely hid his mouth and most of the bottom half of his face. Sunglasses peeked beneath the hood and glinted in the noonday sun.

"Shino?" Naruto asked dumbly. The ninja chuckled briefly, walking over to them. "Of course," he answered, amusement obvious in his voice. Naruto blinked. "Ah." He glanced between the two teammates, scratched his head a bit, then shrugged and grinned at them both. "Well, I guess I have been a bit of an idiot, huh?"

"Sure have," Kiba answered brusquely, grinning when Naruto shot him a glare and began muttering under his breath. "But hey, good to have you back Naruto, some people were beginning to worry about you. Even if the first thing you do back is threaten bodily harm to the surrounding population," Kiba snickered. Naruto perked up.

"Really? Who's been worried about me?"

Kiba's mouth clicked shut and he looked away at his question, a small blush running across his cheeks. He muttered something under his breath and Naruto cocked his head confusedly. Shino glanced at his teammate and when it became apparent that he wouldn't speak up he answered Naruto's question for him.

"All of us have been worried Naruto. As your friends, we have a license to be when you were gone on that dangerous mission, and especially in that situation we left you in at the time," Shino stated. Naruto looked shocked and touched and Kiba visibly relaxed. "Although," Shino started again, dryly amused at the expression on Kiba's face when he did, "Hinata has been perhaps the most worried out of all of us."

"Eh? Hinata?" Naruto asked, blinking once more. Kiba glared at his teammate who, through sheer psychic ability, he could tell was feeling exceptionally smug about the turn in conversation (like he wasn't enough already, the bastard). Naruto gazed thoughtfully down at the melons that lay at his feet (where was the stand owner anyway? He should have been yelled at by now…), then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, she does seem like the type, doesn't she? Hinata's so nice; I bet she worries about everybody whenever they leave Konoha for missions!" Naruto laughed, obliviously missing the incredulous look Kiba directed at him. In Kiba's seventh sense (Shino bastard-ness level), Shino's aura of smugness seemed to amplify by ten. "Oh hey, have you guys seen her today? You two are together, so is your team meeting up for training or something?"

"We already have," Shino confirmed. "We had a debriefing earlier at the Hokage Tower. However, Naruto," Shino added in a completely blasé tone of voice, "I think the one that Hinata worries the most about is you."

"Eh?" Naruto would have asked him exactly what he meant by that before Kiba hastily intervened. "So anyway, Naruto, where were you running so fast to in the first place?" Naruto blinked dumbly. Then his jaw dropped and he grabbed his hair.

"Oh shit, I almost forgot –_again_-! Oh man, Sakura's gonna kill me and what'll those guys think, like they weren't important to me or something, Ayumi's gonna make that sad face again, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit-"

"Whoa, hey, slow down there a moment Naruto, you said something about Ayumi, right?" Kiba asked. Naruto paused in his rant, his face screwing up in impatience as he carefully tiptoed out of the mess of melons on the ground. "Yeah, that's what I just said, didn't I?! And if I don't hurry up I'm gonna be late meeting up with them!"

"And where are you meeting them up at?"

"The Ichiraku Ramen Bar, and if you don't mind I _really_ need to be there right now-"

Naruto turned to leave and prepared to dash off again, when Kiba's hand came down heavy on his shoulder. "Hold up, Naruto. The meeting place isn't at Ichiraku's."

Naruto turned back, a puzzled look in his eyes. "What do you mean? Of course it's there, Old Lady Tsunade said so!"

"Yeah, but she changed it last minute." "Huh?" Kiba let go of him after he had his full attention. "That's what the meeting we went to was about; Godaime-sama called us in to let us know that the time and place had changed and she asked me 'n Shino to track you down and let you know. 'Course, there wasn't much we had to do on that part since you nearly killed me just when I got out of there."

"Yeah, yeah, enough about that already! But why did she change it? I had talked to Teuchi just yesterday and he said that he was looking forward to having us all over!"

"Idiot, it's not big enough for all of us. Besides, some of the stuff that we need to talk about is kinda classified information and it would be sort of hard to have a discussion about it without someone overhearing with a group that big."

"Eh? What group? I thought it was just gonna be me, Sakura, Kakashi-sensei, Old Lady Tsunade, the other three, and maybe Shizune that would be coming…?" Naruto further looked confused when Kiba sighed, frustrated, and Shino shook his head. "Naruto…You guys aren't going to be the only ones there. The rest of us want to know what happened after we all left and what's gonna happen now. Ichiraku Ramen's not gonna fit all of us."

"But," Naruto glanced confusedly between them. Kiba continued, "Look Naruto, you're not the only friend they've got. The rest of us got to know them pretty good during the mission and while they've stayed here and we're their friends too." Kiba grinned at Naruto's surprised expression. "Just because they have those things in them doesn't mean that we can't be friendly to them or be their friends."

Naruto blinked blankly as Kiba brushed imaginary dust off his jacket (or not so imaginary, that thing was pretty dirty), and stepped out of the radius of scattered melons to turn to grin at him.

"It's no different than it is with you, eh Naruto?"

Naruto started, staring at the two of them, Kiba smiling openly, and a hint of a smile tingeing on the little of Shino's face that was uncovered. Naruto grinned back brightly.

"Right!" Naruto, Kiba, and Shino moved off; laughing, talking, and joking (with maybe a few dry, Kiba-pissing comments from Shino) and Naruto regaled them with stories of (exaggerated) victory and Kiba snickered and jabbed at Naruto's egotistical rants.

The melon stand was left where it laid, the owner coming back sometime later after being held up by his married mistress to find his entire crop ruined. He cried and swore vengeance to Kami (with tears of holy righteousness streaming down his cheeks), while his fellow businessmen feigned ignorance and chalked it up to divine karma.

* * *

They were casually walking down a street a fair distance from the Hokage's Tower now (and the melon stand), when Naruto finally thought to ask where the meeting place was now, now that it had been changed.

"It's on the other side of town. We're heading there now, though we're going to be pretty early. You know that place that Choji likes, with the barbeque specials? They've got private rooms there that are normally reserved for ninja business, and it's got good security too. Really, it's a much better place than Ichiraku's for this. I guess Godaime-sama suggested that first since everyone knows you like it so much."

"Yeah…" Naruto sagged, thanking his lucky stars that he hadn't waited and had gone yesterday. Otherwise the prolonged separation would have been unbearable.

"Here it is," Kiba commented, as they stopped. They stood before a fairly large, busy restaurant, the clean, organized structure and huge signs proclaiming specials on barbeque and steaks giving the favorable impression of good business. They went in, Kiba speaking briefly with the hostess with Shino passing over a slip of paper when prompted. She regarded it with wide eyes before asking them to follow her, immediately leading them to one of the back rooms, unlocking the door and inviting them to make themselves comfortable before bustling off again. They stepped inside a lovely wood-paneled room, the surfaces gleaming and the walls decorated with beautiful scrolls and flowering ironwork pieces, glazed and colorful. A glimpse of blue caught his eye and Naruto craned his head up to gape at a huge, stunning mosaic on the ceiling, consisting of a small ninja in ancient battle gear standing defiantly on a rock that threatened to be overwhelmed by huge, gleaming, white-crested waves, poised to completely eclipse the tiny figure, and spanned over the entire ceiling.

The other sat down, Naruto looking around a few more seconds in silent awe before seating himself at the long low table as well. He didn't think he had ever been in such a fancy place in his life, including the few almost respectable looking high-end whorehouses that he'd caught Jiraiya in a couple of times when he was supposed to have been training him. He was pretty sure that if he broke something in here he'd have to wait until he became Hokage before he'd have the salary to pay off the debt.

Their server shortly came in balancing a huge tray of expensive silverware and their equally large appetizer in her hands (when Naruto tried to help she almost dropped the huge plate of steaming shrimp tempura on Kiba's head and he almost broke one of said above ridiculously expensive items –at which point, Naruto wisely decided to keep his hands to himself). She left again and Naruto and Kiba dug ravenously into the hot appetizer, ignoring the warm towels placed nearby, while Shino lightly snatched a few pieces for himself. Eventually others started arriving, Sakura being one of the first to walk in with Kurenai-sensei and seating herself next to Naruto after his customary enthusiastic greeting. Gai's team came in next with Hinata who had been sent to gather them, and who blushed prettily when she spotted Naruto, stuttering out a very embarrassed but happy hello to him before seating herself next to her sensei.

It was when Gaara and Kazuki came in almost at the same time that they got their first surprise of that meeting. Gaara had just stepped in and received a very excited hug from Naruto who asked ecstatically what he was doing here, while he stood very stiffly with Naruto's arms wrapped around him, still highly unused to physical contact. His brother Kankuro had snickered behind him while Temari had flashed a smirk. Ino had then walked in to complete her team who had for once gotten there early (you can thank Choji for that, Shikamaru had said next to his friend, who had already begun wolfing down some okonomi-yaki) and Kazuki had followed in after her, immediately meeting Gaara's eyes over Naruto's shoulder the instant he was inside and freezing in his steps. Gaara glared.

It went quiet in the room as Kazuki stood completely still, not moving forward with Ino, warily eyeing the Kazekage staring at him from across the room. He had recognized the Sand's Kage the moment he saw him; dressed in regular Sand ninja gear though he was, there was no mistaking that infamous blood-red hair and lime green eyes. Not to mention…his acute senses had instantly picked up on the demon-tainted aura emanating from him.

Kazuki knew that he could tell that he was one of the Jinchuriki too, and not because he had never seen him before in this group. Kazuki's demon had given him a very unique coloring for his primarily dark-complexioned former clan. His hair grew forward and fell in long strands in front of his eyes in the customary fashion of the Nakamura clan, but instead of being brunette, Kazuki had dull orange hair (tabby cat orange, his slightly nicer brothers had often called it) with black-tipped hairs peppering in tufts throughout (which had always annoyed him extensively). He had what some of his admirers called beautiful dark-green eyes that creased at an upward point, and fine, pale, sharp features that emphasized that telltale slant. To anyone who knew of such things, the Nekomata had made a clear mark on its sealed vessel.

Naruto seemed to finally sense something was off and stepped back from Gaara, glancing over in the direction that his gaze was leveled. Spotting him, Naruto broke out into a grin.

"Hey, Kazuki, you made it! We were wondering when you were gonna show up!"

"Hello, Naruto," Kazuki greeted calmly, flicking a slight glance at him before returning his gaze to the former Jinchuriki. Gaara hadn't even blinked.

Naruto glanced uneasily between them and opened his mouth as if to speak. Kazuki beat him to it.

"I am Kazuki Nakamura," he stated, moving forward to stand before the Kazekage. Naruto blinked in surprise at his straightforward approach and Gaara merely watched. Kazuki extended his hand and looked straight back at him, refusing this time for Naruto to help him. And you are Gaara of Sunagakure, Kazekage and-" he watched him closely for a reaction, "Shukaku."

The silence was stifling. Kankuro shifted behind him, Temari cutting him a warning glance, and Gaara remained still, looking up at him. "Former," he said quietly, his eyes calm and heavy, and Kazuki nodded, having said what he wanted to.

There was a pause, and then Gaara slowly raised his hand and clasped his. "Kazuki." Kazuki nodded once more. "Kazekage." Then they dropped hands and Kazuki turned around and moved to take a seat near Team 10, Gaara watching for a little bit before taking his own near the end of the table. Naruto worked his mouth like a fish out of water, Sakura, suddenly relieved, slapping him on the back, and conversation resumed as everyone recognized that, whatever confrontation that was, that it was over.

In due time, nearly everyone had arrived (including the Godaime herself, who has walked in with her own two bottles of sake and a shamed Shizune) and the full course meal was served. At some point, Tsunade glanced at her watch, frowned, and turned to those assembled.

"Has anyone seen Kakashi and the other two today. We should have started this meeting two hours ago." Naruto and Sakura glanced at eachother with resigned and exasperated expressions. "Oh you know Kakashi-sensei, Tsunade-sensei. His casket wouldn't be on time for his funeral." Sakura sighed. "He's probably holding himself and the other two up for some stupid reason."

"Well, we need those two here even if Kakashi decides that it's too much to ask for to drag him away from his early-morning porn literature," Tsunade said, frowning. "Naruto, Sakura, go look for that sensei of yours and see if you can find out what's taking so long. Kakashi may be tardy but he isn't normally this incompetent." Naruto and Sakura nodded, standing up to exit the room. Sai cheerfully excused himself to the air in front of himself and left the table to follow his teammates, obviously inviting himself along. The two Kage's eyes followed his departure, one flat and unreadable, the other silent and contemplating.

However, they had only taken a couple of steps down the hallway before they spotted Kakashi walking slowly towards their room from the back door. Naruto and Sakura called him over.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei, where you've been! Old Lady Tsunade's getting impatient and I think we'd better head her off before she gets much more of that sake-"

"Kakashi-sensei, where have you been? I know that this isn't anything new, but you really shouldn't do this to all of these important people, they're not us and-"

"Naruto, Sakura." They stopped talking. Kakashi was looking at them with one serious, steel-gray eye. "Go back to the room."

There was movement behind Kakashi and Naruto spotted the two people following after him. Naruto opened his mouth to ask, but Kakashi cut him off again.

"Go back to the room, I've got this covered." Kakashi's tone didn't allow for protest. His single eye ticked to Sai when he didn't move with the others. "You too, Sai. You're not needed here."

Sai's eyes flickered between his team leader and his two companions before stepping back in with the others. Everyone glanced at them in confusion, obviously wondering why they had come back in as they looked with equal puzzlement at the door.

Two people stepped in from the open door, one a girl and the other a boy. The girl had his arm thrown over her shoulder, supporting him. The girl with long black hair glanced up and met Naruto's eyes with a worried expression, her arms around her companion. "Ayumi," Naruto murmured, surprised, and there was some relief in her face when he said her name.

"Naruto…I-" She looked around and saw the Hokage looking at her with a frown on her lips and a crease in her forehead. Ayumi flushed and looked down at her feet. "I-I apologize, Madame Hokage, for being so late…" Tsunade's gaze rested on the other, however.

"What took you? I hope there wasn't a problem." Tsunade's eyes sought out Kakashi as he came in behind them, closing the door quietly. Kakashi shook his head silently.

"I should be the one apologizing, Hokage-sama, it was my fault." Every gaze in the room turned to seek out the soft voice that had spoken, the boy standing next to the long-haired young woman. He smiled gently at the room. "I'm afraid I wasn't feeling too well this morning and it took a while to right my constitution. It was my wish that I wouldn't meet with so many important people with my condition being so poor. I'm the one who kept these two away for so long. I beg your forgiveness for being so tardy, Hokage-sama." He bowed halfway before some shift in balance had him leaning heavily on Ayumi. She whispered quickly to him, concern running lines across her face. Tsunade paused then nodded, her own lines between her brows digging deeper as the young man righted from his bow.

He shuffled forward, letting go of Ayumi to which she made more whispered protests and to which he also declined. He walked forward, hand outstretched, his fingers finding and grasping the edge of one of the last empty chairs to pull out. He leaned forward as he moved to sit, his inky black hair shifting forward with the movement to reveal a small twisted knob of flesh at the side of his head which took the occupant of the seat next to him a moment to realize was actually an ear, reduced to a small, twisted ring of cartilage and a dark hole. He sat down and his smooth hair fell back to cover it again. Once he was sufficiently settled he lifted milky white eyes, eyes that had never seen a face, a hand, the green grass, the blue sky, and never ever the sun, lifted them and smiled warmly at the room at large where he knew sat people who were staring at him with barely controlled pity, disgust, revulsion, and perhaps a growing horror. He smiled for them, his webbing white eyes unknowingly resting on the Hokage who looked back at the unseeing gaze with sadness and pity, and greeted them, the people he hoped he would grow to know.

"Hello, I'm afraid I've never had the chance to introduce myself to most of you. My name is Shigai."

* * *

Deidara's dialogue was the part I had trouble with and what gave me the block. I'm no good with dialogue. Though I seem to have gotten better in the time that I wasn't writing? I was thankful that it turned out shorter than I orginally had it.

This chapter is 13 pages longer than the last one, with 36 pages total in Word. Adhfjshfdshaldhjdn.

I will have to say that this story _is_ going on a official hiatus for now though. I don't like where I was originally going with this, so I'm gonna set this aside and brainstorm with my friend. I don't want to start on this again till I have a better idea of where I'm going with this.

On plus side, Shigai! I think he's my favorite OC of all time. Unfortunately, he never seems to fit in any of my other stories...

Please review!


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